


The Elf With Eyes of Storms

by Kivea



Category: South Park
Genre: Fantasy AU, I honestly have no idea how to tag this rn I'm so sleepy I'll tag it properly later., Later like never, M/M, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Stick of Truth AU, feldspar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-08-02 19:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16310942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: When the Wizard King had approached him with the task of assassinating the King of the Drow Elves, Feldspar had nearly laughed in his face. Assassinate a King? Fat chance. But the Wizard made a convincing argument in the form of a hefty reward and a sprinkling of compliments. Feldspar had never quite understood what people meant when they spoke of the Wizard King’s charismatic manipulation until he’d seen it first hand.Somehow he ended up being the elven King's babysitter instead.





	1. Chapter 1

When the Wizard King had approached him with the task of assassinating the King of the Drow Elves, Feldspar had nearly laughed in his face. Assassinate a _King_? Fat chance. But the Wizard made a convincing argument in the form of a hefty reward and a sprinkling of compliments. Feldspar had never quite understood what people meant when they spoke of the Wizard King’s charismatic manipulation until he’d seen it first hand.

Once he was in the elven home the realisation of what he had agreed began to sink in, but by that point it was too late. He had good reason to be scared. It wasn’t going to go well for him.

The argument had been that, despite the two years of tenuous peace following a treaty after the Great War, the Wizard felt like the King of the Drow Elves had become too aggressive. Become a threat to the peace that he wanted snuffed out before more human lives were lost to elven blades. Perhaps the younger Prince would be better suited to the throne, less sneaky, more open to ending the tension that still remained between their peoples.

Feldspar honestly didn’t care. He took jobs, he did jobs, then got his reward. His motivation wasn’t some bid for power, nor was it for the safety of his home. His motivation was entirely monetary, and once he’d made that clear the Wizard King was quick to indulge.

“It’s not worth it,” Feldspar muttered as he surveyed the modest palace that housed the Elven royals. It was big, decorative, but suited the race perfectly with ivy scaling its walls and its connection to the tree-top city above. “It’s so not worth it.”

But he had accepted the job. He wasn’t going to turn back empty handed.

He learnt the guard patterns, the layout of the palace, the different entrances and exits. He monitored those close by and watched for three days before he made his move. He didn’t have the luxury of a home base to work from, and it was a matter of time before they caught him. Better to move fast and quick.

Finding the damn King was a whole other nightmare.

He went at night, infiltrating the building with some difficulty. They had the vantage point from above, so he started from the bottom. The ivy was good cover, if nothing else. The staff had mostly finished their duties for the night, very few people left in the halls.

But the rooms. Why did such a small palace have so many fucking _rooms_?

He swept through the halls and listened to whispered conversations for snippets of information he could use. Any visiting dignitaries airing dirty secrets. Any servants picking up blackmail material. Or even leading him to where the Drow King was. It was suspiciously quiet.

He became more cautious.

The man that Feldspar recognised as the Elven King’s personal guard was his tip. He was standing in a doorway speaking low, and Feldspar was quick to hide and listen in. He was speaking to the King.

“I’ll be back shortly, your highness.”

“Thank you, Stanley. Ensure I’m not disturbed during my prayers. If you could keep the sisters busy, I would appreciate it.”

“They do like to get in your way, don’t they?”

A click of a tongue. “Always for tradition and proper etiquette.”

“I’ll keep them distracted, don’t worry. Enjoy your reflection, your grace.”

The pair separated. Feldspar saw the guard striding down the hallways in the opposite direction as the doors the King had disappeared into closed softly. He imagined the thought was to stay silent for those inside. Perfect for him.

He moved fast, not wanting to miss the opportunity he was presented with. He felt the doors, and tested their weight before he opened them and slipped into the room. He counted his lucky stars that the King was facing the front of the room, bowed on his knees as he prayed at the alter. Feldspar climbed, grasping to the closest wooden statue and leaping up to the rafters, creeping along the wood and staying light on his feet.

A medium sized room; not too drafty and held no echo. He could barely hear what the King was saying from where he was, red locks covering his face as he prayed, red and golden robes shimmering in the light from the lights around the room. Lots of furniture, pews, tables, status. They would absorb what noise did escape.

He withdrew his knife and dipped a thin slither of poison from a vial for added measure before preparing himself above where the King was.

The King looked up. He flicked a finger.

Feldspar jumped as rope of vines shot out and wrapped round his ankle in a snake-like motion. It was enough to throw him off balance, swearing low and gripping the knife in his hand as he fell. He took a desperate swing towards the King, but it was expected. He simply took a step back.

He didn’t hit the ground. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Feldspar. A thief doing a spy’s job. Is this common practice for humans?”

He threw the Knife. It was enough to startle the King and force him to lose some composure, and he very nearly hit his mark. The magic was what bested him as the King raised both hands and swept to the side, wind knocking the knife out of path.

The green eyes turned back to him with startling fury. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“You sure you want the answer to that?”

He probably shouldn’t antagonise someone who could easily kill him on the spot. He probably should’ve used the knife on himself. Or maybe the rope.

“I was expecting you,” the King explained through gritted teeth. “This whole thing was set up for you. You fell for it.”

“I gathered that much, given you know who I am.”

The King flushed with anger and opened his mouth to speak, but whatever rant he was going to launch into was cut off as the door to the room opened.

“You have him?”

The voice was familiar. The personal guard. It really was a set up.

“Yes,” the King straightened out. “I have him. But this is no place for this conversation.”

“We can escort him to the throne room?”

The King clicked his tongue again. “The courtyard. We must be on equal footing.”

“Can I have my knife back?”

Those green eyes were on him again. “You know, for someone who could easily be killed, you have a smart mouth on you.”

“For a leader of a nation you sure are taking a lot of lip from someone who tried to kill you.”

“Courtyard. _Now_.”

What happened next was probably more unsettling than hanging from the rafters by his feet surrounded by elves with swords and magic.

He was seated on the other side of a chess table under a canopy with the rope finally removed but flanked by two guards. Opposite him sat the King of the Drow Elves, who held the air of authority and regal presence, even if he wasn’t seated on a throne. His attempt to put them on equal footing failed if that was truly what he was trying to do. Feldspar lived in the shadows. The King flourished in the light.

“Do you know how to play?”

Feldspar’s eyes flicked from the King’s face down to the chess board and back. He was waiting for the punchline. And by punchline he meant literally punch that would render him unconscious and in the dungeons.

“Are you going to offer me a cup of tea next?” Feldspar sneered. “Refreshments for the game?”

The King met him head on. “If you’d like, it can be arranged. Some ale, perhaps?”

“I don’t have information for you,” Feldspar snapped. He was getting restless. Nervous. “The Wizard King hired me to assassinate you. I’ve failed. What else do you want?”

“Straight to the point, hmm?”

“I don’t like sitting being forced to play games at sword point, _your grace_.”

The knight, Stanley, bristled next to the King, but the King merely raised a hand to signal he held back any comments.

“I appreciate that this situation is…delicate,” the King started. “I’m unsure exactly how to make you feel at ease, so I suppose I will get down to it. I am to understand that providing I pay you enough, you are willing to take on any job, is that correct?”

“Some jobs require a hell of a lot of pay.”

“Like assassinating a King?”

He let out a sigh. “I should’ve declined. This is more trouble than it was worth.”

The ghosts of a smile crossed the King’s lips. “I require an escort into human lands to find someone. I’m willing to pay you double what the Wizard King is paying you.”

“You don’t even know what the Wizard King is paying me.”

“No, but I know the Wizard King, and he’ll have bartered the price down to something that seems like a lot for you, but isn’t a lot for him. Which means no matter what he offered, I can match it.”

Feldspar narrowed his eyes.

“Your work requires stealth and finesse. You don’t indulge in luxury like others do. You don’t have a high maintenance lifestyle. Whatever I can offer you will set you up to continue that lifestyle for many years without taking on any other jobs.”

“I’m not escorting a troop of elves into human territory. I don’t care if there’s a peace treaty, we’d be a walking target.”

“Not a troop, me. On my own.”

Stanley bristled again. “Your highness, you can’t-!”

The King raised a hand again. This time Stanley’s face fell sour at the action.

“What’s to stop me just killing you anyway?”

“I’m paying you to do a job. I’ll take the gamble that you’re going to see it through to the end, when you will get your reward.”

“Whoever you’re looking for can’t be found with a scout?” Feldspar nodded to the personal guard. “He’s human. He’d find them easy.”

The King leant in, green eyes practically blazing as he lowered his voice. “I’m not here to be questioned, thief. You either accept the job, or you don’t. Me, into human lands to find my friend, and then us both safely out. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I don’t think I have much choice.”

“You’re right. You don’t.”

He turned, looking away from the King for the first time since he’d sat down. It was an impossible situation. He didn’t have an escape plan and he didn’t have the option to turn down the job. If he didn’t, he would probably be thrown into the dungeons until he changed his mind. They wouldn’t let him go knowing he had tried to assassinate the King.

But the King also knew his persuasion for money, and from the sounds of things he didn’t know what the Wizard King had offered. He could easily claim twice what it actually was and he got the impression the King would keep his word and double it again. Smuggling an elf in and out the boarders wasn’t such a difficult task, and he doubted many humans knew what the King of the Drow Elves even looked like.

It would be easier than his original job. Safer. Result in not having to work another day in his life, perhaps. And maybe once it was done he could complete his original job also. He wasn’t being paid to _not_ kill the King once he was finished, after all.

“Fine,” Feldspar grit out. “I hope this friend of yours is worth it.”

The King stood with a smile. “Good. We will prepare first thing in the morning and leave tomorrow. I will have the guards show you to a room so you may get a proper nights rest before we depart. Please think of anything we will need to take with us.”

It wasn’t how he planned the night would go down. He was prepared for some kind of threat if he fucked up, obviously. It was the nature of the job. This caught him by surprise.

The guest room he was shown to was again modest for a palace and one of the guards explained he would be waiting outside should Feldspar need anything. When he checked the window he was unsurprised to find it locked shut. No easy sign of escape. They probably planned for that.

How he was supposed to sleep when he was still waiting for some kind of axe to the head was beyond him. Maybe it was some twisted kind of elven humour. Make the prisoner think there’s a way out before they’re hung for all to see.

Sleep claimed him in the end. With no escape there was no point in getting himself worked up. Best to just…roll with the punches.

\--

It was kind of adorable, in a really dumb, pathetic way. He had been escorted to the throne room, where there were two horse satchels set up with the contents spread out across the table. The King was there, along with his knight Stanley, hands folded behind his back and his head held high as he asked the question.

“Is this sufficient for our journey?”

“Uh…” Feldspar’s eyes raked across the table and took in everything he saw. “How far into human territory is your friend?”

“I’m…unsure.”

“ _What_?”

At least the royal asshole had the decency to look embarrassed. “I don’t know the exact whereabouts of my friend. We’ll need to find them.”

“No clues to go on? No idea of where he is?”

“Only that they’re living in human lands.”

Feldspar let out a sigh. It may be an easier job, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be quicker.

“Is this sufficient?”

“You need to travel lighter,” he advised. “We’ll be moving a lot, and if we need to gather information as we go we can’t be lugging around all this crap. Just make sure you bring coin so we can replenish supplies while we go.”

The King scrunched up his nose. “Do you really expect it to take that long?”

“Well, heck, I don’t know, given it takes days and days to cross from one side of human territory to another, it depends where your little friend decides to show his face, I guess.”

Stanley was on him in an instant. “You will not speak to our King in such a manner. You’re lucky he’s sparing your life, _thief_.”

“Aw, are you sad that you can’t come on our jolly little venture to your homeland?”

“Enough!”

The voice was loud and sharp enough to snap Feldspar out of his mocking mood, eyes snapping to the King as Stanley straightened and stepped back to his position by his King’s side.

“I’d request you do not provoke my knights. Should they snap and kill you, it won’t be my life that’s ended.”

It was…a point.

“Whether we like it or not, Stan, Feldspar will be escorting me into human lands as a regular citizen. That means however he needs to address me will not be what is proper. Best to get used to it now.”

He resisted the urge to stick out his tongue.

“Let’s go through what I need. Please, if you would, Feldspar.”

He packed one satchel as lightly as he could, and left out an outfit for the King to wear. He explained that the King would need a hood of some sort to hide his ears, as despite the peace there was still a lot of distrust that ran deep and would affect how easily they would get information.

It was a surreal experience, having this King listen to him, respond to his comments, and occasionally say something that gave startling reminder to what was happening. He didn’t usually like working with political figures. Too messy. This was the definition of messy.

“I’ll need these,” the King insisted as he picked up a collection of bottles from the discarded pile. “They’re small, they shouldn’t take up too much space.”

“What are they?”

Stanley snorted from his position, humour in his eyes despite his schooled expression. The King shot him a withering look as he responded with: “They’re elven…soaps.”

“A luxury. You don’t need luxuries.”

“How do you expect to remain clean?”

“Depends where we are. Maybe a tavern will have a wash room, or maybe a river will suffice.”

The King looked horrified.

“You’re willing to trade in your fancy robes and your soft bed, but not your soaps?”

“It’s – different.”

“It’s really not. Three change of clothes, one hood, money, and rations. That’s all we need.”

“Feldspar is escorting you into human lands as a regular citizen, your highness. He’ll know the best way to do it.”

Feldspar narrowed his eyes at the look that passed between the knight and the King. Stanley’s poker face finally broke as the whispers of a smile graced his face, the King glaring furiously at the man. He did reluctantly had the bottles over to his guard however as he turned to the clothes that Feldspar had left for him.

“So, this is what you want me to wear now?”

“Yes. We’ll get you some more human-appropriate clothes when we reach their territory. For now find something to cover your ears with.”

“Stanley, please escort Feldspar to the stables to pick out a horse for travelling with. I will change and meet you down there.”

With a low bow the knight turned from his ruler to Feldspar, all mirth gone from his expression. Instead he gestured for the thief to follow, never allowing him to fall behind. Not that Feldspar needed a guide. He could remember where the stables were from scouting the building in the days prior.

They arrived to find a single gentleman manning the area, the sun lighting up the early morning sky as dawn continued on it’s path to day. The man turned upon their arrival with a low bow to Stanley, face dirtied with the signs of stable work despite all the clothing and gloves he was wearing to protect himself.

“Sir Marsh, I have nearly finished preparing the King’s horse ready to go. Are you here to choose a second one for his companion?”

“Yes, Petuski. Feldspar, this is the King’s most trusted stable hand. He will help you chose your own steed.”

“Thanks,” Feldspar muttered as he dropped down to meet the mucky staff. “Which horse has the king chosen?”

Petsuki took him to meet a strong shire horse. Not the most regal he’d ever seen, but definitely elven. Feldspar turned his nose up at the sight of the white mare instantly.

“He needs something else.”

“Why? We chose a common horse, to help you remain-!”

“You chose a common elven horse. We need something non-descript. Do you have any that aren’t…bred like this?”

Petuski gave a strained smile. “You want a grade horse. One who’s parentage isn’t certain.”

“Yeah, that’d work.”

“Yes, we have a couple of these horses. They both belong to staff…”

“Well, those staff are in for a treat today, because they’re about to get an upgrade.”

Stanley rolled his eyes at the words. Apparently his pretence was forgotten without his King around. “How generous of you to offer an exchange of the royal horses on his majesty’s behalf.”

“Are you saying that’s not what’s gonna happen?”

Blue eyes narrowed. “You usually travel alone, don’t you?”

“Yeah, so be glad I’m willing to cart your King around with me.”

“I’m _oh so_ grateful you’ve decided not to-!” he cut himself short, eyes flickering to Petuski for a moment. “Prepare the two horses. Who’s are they?”

“My own and the bard’s, Sir Marsh, though the bard is away.”

“If you find it acceptable you may borrow one of the royal steeds until his majesty returns yours. I will speak to the bard when he returns.”

Petuski gave another low bow before he scarpered to go retrieve the two horses, taking the shire horse that had been prepared with him. Feldspar watched them go, his eyes drifting from the horse to the stable hand as he let out an annoyed huff at the whole thing. He should’ve just accepted imprisonment or death. It would’ve been easier than this.

Before he had much more chance to mull on his lot there was a strong hand round the scruff of his neck. He gave a startled yelp as he was tugged forward roughly, staring into the fierce blue eyes of the King’s personal guard. Stanley’s face was twisted with anger, and despite being a couple of inches shorter he managed to be intimidating enough that all Feldspar could really focus on was where his hands and weapons were.

“Listen here, _thief_.”

Well _shit._

“The King may trust you’ll honour your word for the money, but I promise you, if so much as a hair on his head is damaged when you return him, I will have your head on a pike.”

Feldspar kept his nerve, attempting not to let any fear show on his face. “I’m not sure the King would approve of you threatening me like this.”

“I don’t approve of the King hiring his assassin, so I guess we’re even.”

He sucked in a breath to remain calm. “No hurting the King. Got it.”

“And if you don’t return, I’ll hunt you down.”

“You’d leave your post?”

“My _post_ is by the King’s side. If he isn’t by mine, I will find him. And then I’ll find you. Understand?”

“I understand. You need to understand how long we’ll be gone, though. Don’t go on a warpath after a few days.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll know.”

The sound of the door to the palace opening sounded and Stan’s face withdrew from his vision. He let out a shaky breath as he absorbed the conversation, and he began to wonder the exact nature of the relationship between King and Knight if the man was so passionate about his ruler, rather than his duty as royal guard. They already seemed friendlier than most.

Maybe it was an elf thing.

“Is this acceptable?”

Feldspar’s eyes snapped up as he heard the King’s voice. The earthy greens and browns that matched his own outfit were exactly what the King needed, even if his vibrant red hair stuck out like a sore thumb. He gestured to his own ears hidden below his hat and the King jolted, scrambling to raise the hood that was wrapped round his neck.

It hid most of his hair, at least. Perhaps they would be aiming for more wandering travellers than attempting anything too sneaky.

“Yeah, it’s acceptable,” Feldspar muttered. “You look common enough.”

“Thank you. I will join you with Petuski momentarily.”

Feldspar gave a pointed look between the King and his knight, raising a brow at the pair before he turned and headed to where the stable hand had gone. He glanced over his shoulder to see the pair huddled close as they spoke, the King full of grand arm movements as the knight hissed through gritted teeth.

The horses that Petuski had managed to wrangle were much better suited to their needs. He gave a nod of approval and thanked the elf, who took pride in the compliment. The saddles were thankfully plain and non-descript. No doubt belonging to the owners once again.

Feldspar mounted one of the horses. “Temperament?”

“They’ll be fine. My own has been trained well, and the bard takes good care of his horse. They shouldn’t cause you trouble.”

He looked down to the man with a raised brow. “You mightn’t get them back. You know that, right?”

“I know, but they will serve a noble cause, assisting the King.”

“Has he told you what his noble cause is?”

“I am not privy to the details, nor does it matter.”

Feldspar scoffed. “Sounds like blind faith to me.”

“Blind, but not misplaced.”

The conversation was cut short as the King arrived, approaching his stable hand who bowed low in greeting. The King placed one hand on his shoulder and expressed his gratitude for the help and the loan of his horse, telling him he could pick any of the royal horses he desired as payment. Feldspar couldn’t resist turning to see Stanley’s expression at the departure of his king.

He was left without satisfaction at the sour face as he found the knight had disappeared from sight.

“Sir Stanley has returned to his duties.”

“I thought you were his duty?”

“Guarding the King is his duty, yes,” a smile that implied there was a secret Feldspar wasn’t in on. “Lead the way, Feldspar.”

The road out of the Elven Grove was simple enough. They rode for some time in silence, heading straight for the boarder of the Kingdoms. They kept to the main roads as they travelled at Feldspar’s request, not daring to treat through the winding forest that spanned the elven Kingdom. He didn’t trust it.

“I need something to call you.”

The statement seemed to catch the King by surprise. They had ridden in silence for the majority of the morning, nothing but the sound of the birds and animals around them as the sun rose high and people no doubt began to stir and go about their days.

“What?”

“A name. I can’t exactly go around calling you _your majesty,_ or _King_ , can I?”

“Oh…” the King shuffled his weight about. “Kyle.”

“Kyle?”

“Yes. Kyle.”

“Alright.”

“Is Feldspar how you’re usually addressed?” the King, Kyle, asked. “Or do I need to call you something else?”

“Feldspar is fine.”

Silence descended over the pair again and Feldspar did his best to block out the presence of another person beside him.

It proved difficult when his companion was someone as _chatty_ as the King.

“How long do you think it will take to reach human land?”

“A couple of days with good pace. I’d rather not spend too much time here. This forest gives me the creeps.”

“It’s comforting.”

“There’s eyes everywhere,” Feldspar muttered. “Watching you. Beady little elf eyes.”

“We do not have beady eyes!”

He glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. “You sure? You’re looking pretty…squinty there.”

“I am-?!” the King huffed out, glaring across at the thief. “Not going to rise to your mocking barbs, Feldspar.”

“Suit yourself. Sure would make this whole thing easier if you loosened up a little.”

“Loosened up _how_?”

“Y’know, took the royal stick out your ass.”

“I don’t have a _royal stick_ anywhere, thank you very much.”

“Sure you do,” Feldspar straightened his back and pointed his nose towards the sky. “You’re even riding like a royal, all proper and pomp and circumstance.”

He watched the King shuffle his weight about once again as he rolled his shoulders and drooped his shoulders a little bit. “You’re meant to be helping me, not mocking me.”

“I am helping. In my own way.”

“Don’t make me regret hiring you.”

“I can’t help that. It’s inevitable.”

The King huffed out. Feldspar decided he probably needed a new tactic to put the man at ease.

“Tell me about this friend we’re looking for.”

“I’ll know him when we see him.”

All these fucking _cryptic fucks_. “I won’t.”

“You don’t need to. You’re merely escorting me.”

“So, what, I just have to trust you know what you’re doing?”

“Exactly.”

Feldspar turned properly and pulled his horse to a stop, feeling a hot fire of anger beginning to bubble in the pit of his stomach. “Oh no, no way. You expect me to take you into human territory to look for some elf I don’t even have a description of, with no leads and no idea of where exactly they are? It’s not happening. If you want me help, I need something to go on.”

“I’m paying you a lot of money for this job so I need you to trust me.”

“Trust _what_? That you’re gonna magically know what to do, despite having never done this before?”

“I know what I’m doing!”

“No, you don’t, you-!”

“Excuse me! Excuse me, I need your help!”

Feldspar was on edge in an instant as a strange elf appeared from the foliage ahead. He turned to see a blond elf heading their way, tight curls bouncing on her head as she ran towards them. Feldspar shot the King a look in hopes of expressing how _not done_ with this conversation he was.

The King had turned his attention away from Feldspar and towards the female elf running towards them. “What is it you need?”

“I’ve lost my niece – we were in the forest picking wild berries together when she wandered off, and now I can’t find her. Please, you haven’t seen a young child, around the age of eight, wandering around have you? She has blonde hair, to about here?”

Feldspar spoke before the King could. “Sorry, we haven’t. But I hope you find her.”

“Oh…right, yes, thank you!”

The King wasn’t done. “We can help you find her, if you wish?”

Blue eyes lit up like stars. “You would? I don’t – I don’t want to take up too much of your time, sirs.”

“We certainly could-!”

“-For the right price,” Feldspar tacked on.

The woman startled, glancing between the pair before her eyes settled on Feldspar’s colder face. She began to twist her fingers together as she confessed: “I – I’m afraid I don’t have much money.”

“Then we don’t have much time to give. Good luck.”

“Wait, let me just-!” the King reached out for Feldspar’s horse, grabbing the rein and pulling it towards him as he began to talk in hushed tones. “You are joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“All you’ve done so far this journey is mock me and crack horrible jokes.”

“Well I’m not joking this time. We don’t have time to waste on random missing children. Let someone else handle it.”

“A child is _missing_. And if it’s really going to take us that long to find my friend, what’s less than half a day helping one of my citizens?”

“It’s time, which is money, which she doesn’t have.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“It’s not the right thing for my wallet.”

“We have to help her!”

“I don’t _have_ to do anything I’m not being paid for.”

“I’m paying you!”

“What, because the King of the Elves is paying me I have to help all of them now?!”

Green eyes flashed. “Yes!”

“Uh – excuse me?”

The pair pulled back to turn to the young woman on the ground who was fidgeting restlessly as they snapped: “ _What_?”

She jumped at their joint anger. “I-I see I’ve disturbed you both at a bad time. I should really get back to looking for my niece, but thank you for your time.”

With a low bow she turned and disappeared into the trees as she called out for _Sally_. Feldspar kept his face passive and blank as the King shot him a scathing look.

“I can only pray that she finds her niece soon.”

“Yeah, great, pray. Prayers are free. Let’s get going.”

“Do you really not do anything for free?”

Feldspar shrugged as he kicked off and began to ride towards the boarder once again with his companion not far behind. “You’re the one who pointed out how money orientated I am when we first met. Enough pay and I’ll do anything, wasn’t it?”

“At least I know I was right about something.”

They continued along the road peacefully without disturbance. Feldspar decided not to try his luck and press for more information on the strange friend for now. There would be plenty of time for that conversation once they reached the boarder.

He soon turned to check on the suspiciously quiet King and wasn’t surprised by what he saw. Green eyes were scanning the area around them, so much that he occasionally veered off to the edge of the path as he rode with knuckles white from gripping the reins. He scrunched up his nose as he looked the King up and down with annoyance.

“Are you _looking_ for her?”

“Why, is that a crime? Are you going to charge me for looking after my people?”

Feldspar rolled his eyes and turned back to the road. “Not at all, do what you like.”

“Thanks!”

He startled as the King began to shout out into the forest, calling for _Sally_ , having him nearly lose his balance. He spun round to glare at the redhead, who simply continued to call out as they went.

“You’re going to be the worst at being stealthy. We’re going to get knifed up in the first village we get to.”

“We have some ways before we get to the first village, so best to enjoy your time while you’re un-knifed – _Sally_!”

Feldspar let out a groan and rolled his eyes as he turned back to the path. They continued along the path as Feldspar prayed they wouldn’t encounter the missing girl. Fate wasn’t so kind to him.

He saw her first, high in the trees peering down below at them. She was a young elf, though it was difficult to see her from where they were on the ground. He thought about continuing on and ignoring her, hoping that the King also missed her. She was alive, safe up in the tree; it was a matter of time before her aunt appeared.

“Sally? Sally, is that you?!”

No such luck.

He slowed to a stop with the King who was looking up at the girl in the trees. She was looking down at them for definite, soft sniffles escaping her lips and carrying down to them below.

“We saw your aunt. She’s very worried about you. Do you think you can come down from there?”

The girl shook her head furiously. Feldspar let out a snort of amusement.

“An elf who can’t climb trees?”

“Clearly she can climb them. It’s just…getting down that may be the problem.”

Feldspar turned up to the girl with a smirk. “You stuck?”

She nodded her head. Slow and cautious. He let out another snigger at her expense.

“Seeing as you find it so funny, you can help her get down.”

“What?!”

The King pulled the reins of his horse. “I’ll find her aunt. She shouldn’t be too far.”

“How the hell am I meant to get her down?”

“What, are you telling me the Great Thief Feldspar can’t climb trees?”

He practically _growled_. “I better be paid for this.”

“I’ll tell you something about my friend.”

With that the King was off, gone as he called out for the girl’s aunt. Feldspar swore under his breath as he looked back up at the girl in the tree who stared down at him with wide, watery eyes.

“You really can’t get down?”

She gave another rough shake of her head.

“For fucks sake…”

Feldspar dismounted his horse, pulling it over to secure to the tree. The last thing he wanted was to lose one of the horses so early on in their journey. He then turned to inspect his way up to the young elf, scratching his head as he tried to picture it in his head.

He sucked in a breath before launching himself up to the first branch.

Climbing was a common practice, at least in his line of work. Doing it quietly and quickly was pretty important too, but he also didn’t want to approach this strange girl like some kind of spider monkey ready to attack. He needed her to want to come down with him, not end up with them both stuck in the tree waiting for King Saintly to return.

He did his best to make sure he didn’t fumble at all, getting up slow and safely, the opposite of his usual gig. He cursed under his breath several times, muttering away about how he should be charging the King by the day instead of by the nature of his task with how the first day was turning out.

When he made it to the top he wasn’t so callous that his heart didn’t go out to the poor girl a little bit.

Her cheeks were stained red with tear marks, and she looked like it took her some doing to get up here in the first place with the scratches on her skin. He gave the softest smile he could – which admittedly wasn’t that soft – and offered his hand.

She shrank back, arms wrapping round the tree trunk between them.

“C’mon, kid I don’t have time for this. I’ve just climbed all the way up this fucking tree.”

She scowled across at him.

“What, you don’t say fucking around here?”

She shrank back further.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Just-!”

“Sally?!”

The pair looked down to see the King and the blonde woman below, looking up with matching smiles on their faces.

“Oh, Sally, you’re okay!”

He turned back to the blonde girl, now looking down at the woman below. “See, I’m with your aunt. That’s my friend down there. You gonna trust me now?”

The girl stretched a hand out and Feldspar was quick to grab it and pull. She let out a shriek as her feet left the branch, but he soon had her scooped in his arms. He began to move her to sit on his back, instructing her to wrap her arms around his neck and not let go.

He tried to ignore the fact she ended up pretty much choking him.

Before he really had a chance to make a start on moving down, the tree began to shift. He watched as the branches moved to create what was almost a staircase down to the ground, seeing Kyle’s hands on the tree as it moved, brows furrowed in concentration. He tried not to feel too grateful for the help.

He arrived down on the ground with the girl, who let go of him almost instantly and was in her aunt’s arms with laughter and smiles. The king let out a breath and took his hands off the tree as the branches seemed to almost _snap_ back into place.

Feldspar turned to him with a glare. “Would’ve been helpful if you did that for me to get up there, y’know.”

“You’re _welcome_.”

“Oh, thank you both so much!” the woman gasped out as she dropped her niece to the ground and rushed forward to envelop Feldspar in a very unwanted hug that he didn’t return, before doing the same to the King who patted her on the back awkwardly. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you both!”

“Found different unsuspecting people to-!”

The King elbowed him in the side. “It’s our pleasure! I’m just glad you found her again.”

“My name is Annie. I’m in your debt.”

“I’m Kyle. Think nothing of it.”

“I don’t have much, but-!” she reached down to pick up a basket from her side, pulling a wrapped bag from within. “-For your travels. We have plenty.”

Feldspar snatched them in an instant, opening the top to inspect the insides. Berries. The ones they were picking. Not exactly what he had in mind, but…

“Thanks,” he nodded and moved to his horse, securing the bag to his belt.

As he mounted the horse once again the King continued to talk with Annie, the young girl now gripping her leg as she stared blankly up at the redhead in front of her. Feldspar eventually rolled his eyes and whistled for the King’s attention, taking great satisfaction in the nasty look that was thrown his way.

“What? We’ve lost enough time. Let’s go.”

“Thank you again,” Annie said as the King mounted his horse. “Have a safe journey!”

They began to ride, speeding up their pace a bit as they did so and trotted down the paths. The silence that had been with them most of the morning returned, but after their encounter he could feel they both felt more awake, more alive for the day.

He finally glanced over at the King for a moment. “Pay up.”

“What?”

“You promised to tell me something about your friend. Pay up.”

The King let out a reluctant sigh, but did as he’d promised. “He’s very important to our people, which is why I’m reluctant to share information about him to a human, one who was sent by the Wizard King to kill me, no less.”

Perhaps the King wasn’t as trusting and foolish as Stanley had made out.

“But he has grey eyes.”

“Like mine?”

The King snapped his head across. “Hmm?”

Feldspar pointed to his eyes, leaning over so the redhead might get a better look. “Grey like mine?”

“Uh, yes. Similar. Grey like yours.”

“Well, I guess that’s something. A starting point when I ask around.”

“I don’t want to draw too much attention to him, with him being…”

“Special, yeah, yeah. Gotta find him somehow. Does he know how to fight?”

“Yes, he does. Though he has been gone some time, I don’t know what his skills are like now.”

Feldspar shrugged it off. “I guess we’ll find out.”

He was pleased that they didn’t encounter any more annoyances on their way to the boarder, only passing travellers and merchants who were familiar to the land. He stopped two for food for themselves and the horses, though didn’t stop for long. He insisted that if they made good time they would be able to make the boarder by the next morning.

It came as no surprise that the King knew of a Safe House that was dotted near the boarder, sign they were close marked by the same tree that was on the royal insignia. It allowed them to rest the horses, Feldspar insisting they each took a watch as the other rested for a few hours, though he gave the King more time to rest than himself. He could handle short resting periods. The King was probably used to long naps until well into the morning.

Silence was filled with questions about the human territory, what they would encounter, ways that the King could present himself to be more believable as a common human.

Craig did his best not to laugh as he watched the King mimic his eating habits. He clearly thought he was trying to be subtle. He decided not to make fun of him for that one.

They would make it to the boarder shortly after first light, if he had anything to say about it.

\--

The elven Kingdom had forest spanning the vast majority of the land. There were probably segments that were clear of wooded area, but a lot of them lived within the trees, so were very careful to ensure they regularly and almost religiously replenished the forest in various celebrations they held. This meant there was a certain smell that went along with elves depending on where in the Kingdom they lived and what plants grew near them.

Feldspar found them more than a little pretentious. They would describe the human way of doing things at best as ‘cute’ or at worst ‘damaging to the land’. He described elves as ‘up their own asses’.

It did mean that there was also often a clear divide between elven land and human land. Some were marked by scorched patches that hadn’t quite recovered from the war and all the bigotry that followed, while other areas had expanses of wild fields that separated it from human settlements.

He took a moment as they approached one of these fields, grass trampled and used to form a path of sorts towards the closest village. Being able to see the sky without the leaves of trees getting in the way was a welcome change.

“I’d forgotten how empty human lands were.”

He glanced over to see the King stop next to him. Green eyes were out of focus as he took in the scene in front of them, brows pulled together at the sight.

“It’s refreshing,” Feldspar muttered. “Won’t have to worry about how dark it gets on n evening.”

“I suppose you’re used to it. I don’t think I’ve been outside elven lands since I was young.”

“Before all the fighting started, I guess?”

He nodded.

“We’ve not got time to loiter. Soak it up and move on,” Feldspar snapped as he kicked the horse into gear once again. He needed to come up with a real plan on how they were going to find the King’s friend.

“The village we’re going to is called Crossroad. They’re not as bigoted, but they don’t like people hanging around. They’re used to travellers coming, spending money, and going.”

“I’ve heard of Crossroad. The closest to our Kingdom, but cut off from the rest of the humans.”

“Exactly. They’re kinda weird, not gonna lie. Don’t like people asking questions. Questions mean trouble.”

“Right. Okay.”

“If we want to find info on your friend here, we gotta be careful, and we gotta spend some money to get them to warm up to us.”

“Seriously?” the King’s nose scrunched up. “Are all you humans obsessed with money?”

“No, just the smart ones. Just…let me do the talking, alright?”

The King – _Kyle_ – agreed. It took them a little while longer before they arrived at Crossroad, and Feldspar had come up with a sort of plan on how to get info out of the people who lived there. Humans asking about strange elves usually meant trouble, so they would need to seem natural. Uninquisitive.

The village itself had done well, all things considered. It wasn’t a town like many other hubs for trade, because of its in-then-out approach to people and how cut off it was from the rest of the Kingdom. Much of the land around the village belonged to the folk who lived there, though given the wild fields they didn’t do too much with it. If any disruptive humans passed through they’d probably torch anything too close to the forest’s edge anyway.

They stored their horses in one of the stables by the village entrance before heading into town. Feldspar tried to remember what time the market place opened as he inched into the village, many people going about their morning chores.

“My magic won’t be much use in a place like this,” the King said.

“How does it work?”

“Manipulation, of the winds and the plants, those with life breathed into them. I struggle with the likes of man-made objects. Interference of people sullies wood.”

“Got it. You’re gonna be useless for most places we stop in.”

The King huffed out, but didn’t deny it.

They made it to the village as it was opening and Feldspar turned to his companion with a smirk. “I hope you’re ready to splash out, your highness.”

“You get _two_ things, tops. The rest will be for me.”

“I’m just saying, you elves are known for being…what’s the word? _Frugal_.”

“What’s wrong with that?!”

“Frugal ain’t gonna buy us information.”

“I’ll show _you_ frugal…”

Food stalls were easy. Feldspar insisted they ate something there and then, as when you had uncertain meal times it was good to eat well when you could. He tried to steer them to consumables and small trinkets, or practical things that wouldn’t weigh them down. A new satchel to keep the berries that Annie had given them in.

“Here!” the King grasped his arm, tugging him towards a new stall as soon as money went from his hand to the owners. “Come see!”

Feldspar allowed himself to be dragged over to a jewellery stand, smirk pulling at the corners of his lips as he saw the King pointing wildly at various items. They were a type of jewellery that was popular amongst the human nobles, so he supposed the elves mightn’t see them much.

“This one would be perfect for Wends,” he cooed over a particularly decorative stone that glittered purple. “She’d love it.”

“Who’s Wends?”

“A close friend. I don’t see her often, but…”

“Get it. How much?”

He managed to barter down the price a little, not wanting to come off as fools before they began to ask questions. The King was quick to agree before it was too low.

“And then this!”

By the time they were done, the King had certainly proved he wasn’t going to be too frugal, and Feldspar found himself enjoying the market to a degree. He finally had the high-and-mighty King of the Drow Elves loosen up a little. It would make it easier to pass him off as a commoner.

“Let’s find somewhere to get a drink, Kyle,” Feldspar suggested, trying out the name on his tongue. “Before you spend all of our money.”

Taverns were a good place to go. Where people were relaxed, a little more suggestable, and where barkeeps got most their intel. The one in Crossroad he always found to be a little too tight-lipped for what he needed, and probably recognised him, but there would be people who weren’t from here there as well.

If he spoke loud enough, someone might pipe up with information.

He ordered their drinks before he began to talk to Kyle about what they had bought, pleased at the barmaid who came over with their order and a smile on her face.

“You two sure bought a fair bit, huh?”

“We’re meeting a friend, so we thought we’d get him a present,” Feldspar explained as he rolled his eyes. “Though I think someone went overboard.”

“I did not!” _Kyle_ spat, head snapping up immediately. “I was perfectly reasonable.”

“Alright, whatever you say.”

She giggled at their words, turning to wink to Kyle. “I bet he’ll appreciate it.”

“He will, I’m sure of it.”

“He might’ve been through here before us,” Feldspar started, addressing Kyle rather than the barmaid. “He left before us, but he’s a lot slower. I hope we didn’t buy something he’s already got.”

“Maybe.”

“I did tell him to wait if he could, it’s not safe for an elf to wander about aimlessly like he does.”

“We’ve had a couple of elves through here, all heading back home,” the barmaid offered.

Before he had a chance to expand, Kyle was on the questioning train. “He has grey eyes. Grey like storms. Have you seen an elf like that?”

It was desperate. Feldspar could tell. Until this moment, he didn’t quite understand what the King had meant when he described him as ‘important’.

“Sorry, I don’t think so! I’m not great with things like this though,” the barmaid apologised. “You’d be best asking next town over – people don’t stay in Crossroad for long, so it’s tough to remember everyone.”

She’d picked up on the desperation too.

“Oh…” Kyle gave a half-hearted smile. “Thanks anyway.”

“Sure.”

With that she was gone.

Feldspar leant in with a scowl. “I know this guy’s important to you, but you gotta dial it back a notch. You’re way too desperate.”

“I – I know. I’m sorry. I’m not…used to this. I fucked up.”

Maybe it was something about the way the green eyes looked so weird without the spark of life in them. Maybe it was some kind of conscience from the way the King’s entire being seemed to deflate. Maybe it was the knowledge that if he was going to spend the next several _days_ with this jackass he needed him on top form. Maybe it was fear the King would give up and he wouldn’t get his reward.

“Do you want me to teach you?”

Green eyes snapped up and locked with his own. “What?”

“Do you want me to teach you, how to do…this? What to do?”

“Yes. Yes, absolutely.”

He nodded slow. “Alright. Let’s just…find a quiet space to work in.”

They chose one of the quieter alleys behind some shops that saw little movement. Feldspar stood in front of the King with his arms folded, trying to hold back the exasperated expression that was no doubt painted across his features. To the King’s credit he didn’t back down, holding his head high and not allowing any of his earlier doubts and regrets. He supposed royalty probably knew how to cover their emotions relatively well.

That was something that would be useful.

“You need to read a room,” Feldspar started.

Kyle was on the defence instantly. “I know how to read a room!”

“You also need to be able to put your goal above your desire.”

That got him to shut his mouth.

“People are simple. Humans are simple. If you ever meet an elf in human lands it’s easy to get their trust. You just have to be an elf. To get something from a human, you have to make it worth their time.”

“How do I do that?”

“Today, we went shopping. And then showed up with all our shit ready to spend more money. Half this shit we’ll probably trade or sell later.”

“Alright…I can do that.”

“So, what should you have said?”

The King faltered. “Uh…”

“Pretend I’m the barmaid,” Feldspar stepped forward. “I’ve told you that all the elves I’ve seen were heading home. You say…?”

Kyle’s brows pulled together. “I have to make it worth your while, but…you said the people here are suspicious. Wary.”

“Don’t like trouble.”

Green eyes snapped up with clarity, before a concerned, worried look crossed his face. “All heading back home? He must’ve left without us – we should leave now, I’m so sorry we can’t stay.”

Feldspar couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face. “I guess there’s something true about elves being sneaky.”

“I’m just trying to think like a human.”

“Oh, that’s how you’re playing it, huh?”

Kyle cocked his hip and mirrored Feldspar’s stance. “That’s the idea, right? Look like a human, think like a human?”

“You sound-!”

He fell silent as he heard footsteps, and Kyle thankfully didn’t question it. They waited as the footsteps got closer, light and small like a child’s.

His guess was correct as a small girl came barrelling round the corner. Her hair was big, bushy and dark, with wide eyes that got wider as soon as she saw them. There was a moments hesitation at seeing these two strange men in an alleyway together, staring at her. Good hesitation.

Kyle was, unsurprisingly, the first one to speak. “Hey, what are you running around for?”

She held her head high as she spoke. “I-I’ve lost my bear. He…was a gift, and I was playing here earlier, but now…”

“You can’t find him?”

She shook her head as her eyes cast downwards.

“Can I help?”

Feldspar had to internally suppress a groan of despair at Kyle’s words. The kid seemed to brighten up at the offer however and nodded as he began to describe a toy that he had lost while playing in the backstreets.

When Kyle offered a hand to the kid and turned to Feldspar to check the man was still there, the king’s words were: “Make it worth their time, right?”

He figured he’d let the king take this one. For now.

Finding the toy wasn’t difficult. Turned out that the issue was with how small he was, and couldn’t quite see on top of the crates stacked around that housed the market’s supplies and tents. Kyle found it within record time, suggesting that perhaps an adult had picked it up and put it somewhere safe for the kid to find later.

She beamed at him as he crouched down and offered the soft toy, enveloping it in a big hug now it was returned. Feldspar waited to the side with his arms crossed for Kyle’s resolution to offering help without thought again.

“I wonder if you could help me look for something too?”

She looked up with wide blue eyes. “What’re you looking for?”

“I’m looking for a friend. An elf. You haven’t seen any pass through town, have you?”

Dark brows pulled together. “Papa said not to tell humans about elves. He said it’s just asking for trouble.”

Kyle winked as he pulled his hood back to show off his ears. “Don’t you worry about that.”

“Oh wow!” she reached out to run her fingers across the point. “I’ve never seen your ears so close! They’re so pretty!”

“Thanks. So, you seen any of my friends?”

A quick nod. “Uhuh! We saw a group of them, going back to the forests.”

“Any heading towards the human villages?”

“One, who wore a red cape. It was so pretty, and so fancy.”

“Thank you, you’ve been a great help.”

“Thank you too, mister elf!”

She disappeared off with a giggle, her toy by her side flying through the air. Kyle stood and approached Feldspar with a smug smirk, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement for his work. Feldspar couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Well done. I guess we have something to go on. Does a red cape sound familiar to you?”

An aloof smile. “I imagine clothes are the kind of thing that change frequently over time.”

“Fair enough. I guess we shouldn’t waste any time. We still have plenty of the day left.”

“What do we do with all the crap we bought?”

“We put some of it in the saddle bags, after freeing up all that space from getting rid of your shit.”

The king shot him a look, reluctantly acknowledging the decision.

“But…good job. Maybe you’re not a total lost cause.”

It was kind of endearing how Kyle’s face brightened up, going straight back to that smug smile.

“Don’t let it go to your head, _your highness_.”

“Don’t be afraid to admit you were wrong, _thief_.”

Feldspar watched as Kyle spun on his heel and headed back towards the main streets, perhaps forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be a common human. Feldspar watched him walk for a moment, shabby clothes out of place on the graceful elf, before he rushed forward and grabbed the back of Kyle’s collar.

With a mocking look he gave a sharp tug, pulling the man to a halt before he overtook and encouraged him to tone back the regal attitude. The flush that lit up the redhead’s face was entertaining, if nothing else.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next town over would take them some time to reach. The only benefit Crossroads had was that many places led into it, but it didn’t make it very ‘central’. Kyle fell quiet as they continued to ride, no doubt keeping eyes peeled for a figure in red. Feldspar knew that was what he was doing. 

He only hoped that this mysterious elf was Kyle’s friend, or at least knew where they would find him. It would make the whole thing much easier. 

He understood what the little girl had meant as soon as they saw it, and he cursed himself for not putting two and two together. The red was framed with a shimmering gold, a cape that led to a hood no doubt covering the elf’s ears from view. Subtle was definitely not how he would describe the person with their colour choice, or with the quiver on their back. 

Red capes. A human hunter. 

It didn’t help that there was one glaring difference between this elf and the elf they were looking for: he was pretty sure the King’s friend was a male. 

“Well, shit,” Kyle muttered under his breath as they continued their approach. “I should’ve specified we were looking for a boy elf.” 

“She’s wearing red,” Feldspar replied. 

“Yes. She’s…a blood elf.” 

“What’s that mean?” 

Kyle shrugged at the question. “They’re – there’s a lot of myths. I’ll tell you later – excuse me!” 

Feldspar brought his horse to a stop as soon as the King called out, fingers twitching as they reached for the knife by his waist. As soon as she laid eyes on them her bow was out with an arrow poised. With a deep voice she addressed them. “Not a step further. What do you want?” 

The king reached up to pull his hood down. With his ears in full view she lowered her weapon, though her stance was still defensive and her jaw set, eyes flickering to Feldspar with distrust. He didn’t blame her. He wasn’t a very trustworthy guy. 

Kyle rode forward first, head held high as he looked down at her. “I’m looking for a friend. I was hoping you may be able to help. 

“Who’s asking?” 

“I am-!” 

“A couple of travellers,” Feldspar cut in quickly. “Just…looking for a friend. We’re trying not to be too…we’d rather be discrete. It’s not easy to get in and out of human territory safely.” 

The woman’s chocolate brown eyes softened, a wry smile on her lips. “This is very true. Smart for you to travel together. Safety in numbers.” 

“Brave of you to travel alone.” 

“A few human bandits won’t stop me from doing my job,” she said. Her voice held a confidence that echoed experience, rather than arrogance. “How can I help you find your friend?” 

“My friend – he has grey eyes. Grey like the sky on a stormy day. He’s quite young, not much older than yourself.” 

“Sorry, I struggle to remember elves I run into. I tend not to stop and chat too often when I’m outside the forest.” 

“That’s…thank you anyway. I appreciate it.” 

“I can give you the places elves tend to travel to?” she offered. “If you have a map. There’s only so many towns where elves can travel to peacefully here, even with the work our King has done to secure peace. Perhaps you’d have luck there?” 

“That would be wonderful,” Kyle agreed with a bow of his head. “I’d be very grateful. It would narrow down the search.” 

“May I ask your name?” 

Kyle hesitated at the question, but smiled and answered anyway. “It’s Kyle.” 

“Kyle,” she spoke it with an almost mischievous smile. “No surname?” 

“It’s…Kyle Broflovski.” 

Her brown eyes almost seemed to glow, in a way that made Feldspar shiver with a unsettling pit in his stomach. He didn’t have much time to think on it before she’d dropped down to one knee, grace and dramatics all in one with a smile in her voice. “I need not look too hard to know who you are, my king.” 

“Please, stand. There is no need for that here.” 

“And your companion?” her brown eyes turned to Feldspar with an amused edge he didn’t trust. “His name?” 

“Feldspar,” he answered without missing a beat. “No surname.” 

“Not your name,” she observed. “Do you spend much of your time acting out a fantasy?” 

“I don’t think you can tell me what my name is or isn’t.” 

“We’re all elves here,” she observed. “Do you not trust me?” 

There was a single moment of relief as she confirmed that she thought he was an elf. The hat on his head that covered his ears worked in his favour when speaking to elves sometimes. His relief was short as the king spluttered with protest at her observation and he took the chance to correct a  _human hunter._

“Feldspar is not an elf,” Kyle corrected. “He’s human. He’s my escort while I look for my friend.” 

“Explains the silver tongue. Humans are good at twisting a tale.” 

That stupid,  _blind_ king. 

“If you pass me your map, I’ll mark on the places I know elves gather.” 

“Perhaps we can give you a lift to where you’re travelling to and you can do it there? It might be more comfortable.” 

She openly laughed at that. “Maybe not exactly where I’m travelling to, but there’s a town close by. You can take me part of the way.” 

Stupid,  _stupid king_. 

“Where is it?” Feldspar cut in. “We can’t take you too far.” 

“It won’t be too far if she was planning on  _walking it_ ,” Kyle pointed out with a scowl. “It’s the least we can do if she’s helping us.” 

“Don’t worry, my king. It’s quite common for humans to be…overly cautious. They tend to tell half-truths, so expect others to do the same,” the blonde elf explained. “I’m travelling close to Hadran.” 

Feldspar’s nose scrunched up. “You’re travelling to  _Hadran_?” 

“My job is not there, but it’s the closest town.” 

The possibilities of what her ‘job’ could possibly be spun round in his mind. He wasn’t quick enough on responding as her brown eyes lit up with joy at his clear discomfort, a giggle vibrating through her words. 

“I forgot you humans have rumours of what we do.” 

Kyle shuffled on his horse. “They have rumours?” 

“Yes, they do. Don’t worry,  _Feldspar_. I’m not going to hurt you.” 

“Blood elves have…special work,” Kyle explained with a grimace on his face. “What should we call you?” 

“Bebe,” she answered with a smile on her face. “My name is Bebe.” 

He watched as the young female accepted Kyle’s assistance onto his horse and made sure he kept his distance from the pair. If nothing else it was amusing to watch the king’s discomfort as his lady friend fawned over him, clearly looking for a reaction of some kind. Whatever it was that her job was, it was clear she took some kind of pleasure in the discomfort it caused others. 

“What is Hadran?” Kyle asked as Bebe settled behind him.

“Hadran is…not an elf-friendly place,” Feldspar started. “You wouldn’t be safe there, and it’s definitely not where your friend is.” 

“I’d recommend avoiding it,” Bebe agreed with a cheerful voice. “Not a place that’s safe.” 

“We’ll drop her off near it, before we turn. Where’s the closest town you marked?” 

“Vyenna.” 

A smile crossed his lips at the suggestion. “Of course.” 

“A place where many are welcome,” she made a flourishing wave with her hands. “Rest, drink, food! Pretty men and woman!” 

“Home of the Peppermint Hippo.” 

Her head whipped round to give him a coy smile. “A patron of the Peppermint Hippo,  _Feldspar_? Enjoy indulging in a lovely lady of the night?” 

“I usually pass on the lovely ladies. I know the owner.” 

“Are they not quite your type?” she pressed, swinging her legs over to ride the horse sideways. “Prefer something more…sophisticated? Ankles hidden, all a-blush?” 

“Prefer something with less going on up here and more going on down there.” 

There was that open, honest laugh she gave, head falling backwards as she let it out. She was quick to inch closer to her king, resting a head on his shoulder. “Careful, your highness. Don’t let yourself be seduced by the handsome human boy.” 

Kyle gave a horrified scoff at her words, his hood pulled up too high for either of them to see his expression. “Please, I’ve more important things to worry about.” 

“It’s sort of romantic, really. Travelling around, just the two of you. A guide and a King.” 

“I’m not sure there’s anything romantic about travelling with the man who tried to-!” 

“Can it,  _your majesty_.” 

The green eyes glanced over to him. Feldspar scowled back. 

“Let’s keep some things between ourselves.” 

“You’ve even got little secrets already? I feel like a third wheel.” 

Feldspar turned to Bebe with a lazy smile. “Maybe you should be trying to steal the King’s attention, then. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind having someone else to talk to for a little while.” 

It was enough to get her focus off him, at least. The nasty look that Kyle shot him promised that it’d bite him in the ass later, but for now he was pleased that at least he could just hang back and listen to it all unfold. The way she was carrying on, you’d think she’d never met a King before. 

She probably hadn’t, given she was probably usually caked in blood. 

The reminder of her nature had him falling back a little more. Best to keep his distance than get too close. 

Kyle had been right at his guess that it wouldn’t take long to get her to where she needed to be. She signalled for them to stop with a polite smile and hopped off Kyle’s horse, turning to the man and dropping down to kneel. 

“Thank you for escorting me, your highness. It truly has been an honour.” 

“Please, stand. I’m not royalty today.” 

She did as he asked, a twinkle in her eye as she turned to Feldspar. “And thank you too, pretender. Hopefully our paths will not cross again.” 

“Hopefully.” 

“Please get our King home safe. I would hate to have to bury you.” 

Despite her jovial attitude, her kind eyes and her friendly teasing, there was something about her that was terrifying. Maybe it was how he already felt about her that painted her actions with a black tar. He’d like to think he wasn’t that judgemental. 

They watched as she began to walk off the path, heading towards whatever her job might be. Feldspar was quick to suggest they make a move to stop the unsettling, nauseous feeling in his stomach. 

“Your hat.” 

Feldspar startled at the King’s words. “What?” 

“You use it to impersonate elves?” 

The cold, calculating anger that laced his words had Feldspar on edge, gritting his teeth as he thought up his reply. “I use it for whatever I need it for.” 

“That’s how you snuck into my Kingdom so easily. We heard nothing about your arrival, if we hadn’t had such an accurate report of when you would arrive…” 

“Then I probably wouldn’t have had to escort you round human lands on a wild goose hunt?” he clucked his tongue. “Damn. Unlucky me.” 

“This isn’t a  _joke_ , Feldspar.” 

He narrowed his eyes at the angered face. Perhaps he shouldn’t be pushing it too far. Instead he tugged at the reigns of his horse, gesturing for the King to follow. “We have to make it to Vyenna. Come.” 

It was the first time that the royal elf didn’t have a rebuttal for him. He wasn’t sure if that made it better. The silence that they fell into as they started to move again wasn’t like it had been before; cautious and uncertain. Now it was charged with the King’s fury, and if looks could kill he had no doubt in his mind that he would be dead. 

He supposed…it was understandable. The King clearly cared very dearly for his people. So much so that he was willing to risk himself, as their ruler, to find one single elf who was missing. A friend, but no life was worth more than a King’s. Elves were… _elf-y_. They were frustrating, and pompous, and thought they were better than humans, and the King displayed all these faults, yet… 

He did care. He cared a lot. 

“I’m sorry. Yes, it is how I snuck into the Kingdom.” 

“How often do you…?” 

“As often as I need to,” he confessed with a shrug, flicking at the end of his hat. “It doesn’t always work. I’m not the only person who’s tried it.” 

“Despicable.” 

“You sound surprised,” Feldspar mused as he glanced over his shoulder at the tense man. “What were you expecting from someone like me?” 

Something in the King’s expression shifted. A sort of horror at the statement, muted by his trained control. 

“C’mon now, don’t go soft on me.” 

“I didn’t…” 

“You did mean it. Because it’s true. I am.” 

This silence was even worse than before. He could deal with anger. He couldn’t deal with  _pity_. 

“I tried to murder you, let’s not gloss over that fact.” 

“I suppose I just…” 

Feldspar didn’t want to know what the end of that sentence was. 

“You know, I knew the Wizard King.” 

It wasn’t all that surprising. He knew that the two Kingdoms had to come together at one point in time, in order to create the peace treaty that they had. He wasn’t sure exactly what the connection between the two conversations was, but he kept silent and allowed the King to continue on his train of thought. 

“We were… _friends_. When we were young. Before the war.” 

Feldspar turned with wide eyes. “But…” 

“We must’ve been only children, but we knew each other from birth. When the war started we were still young, but I knew him.” 

He knew there was a time before the war. He had been young when it started, no older than eight, and he barely remembered a time before the war. It took up most of his childhood. Most of his teen-years. 

“He was always a conniving bastard,” the words were laced with venom. “He would try to get anyone he could to listen to him, to follow his little schemes, and…he was convincing. People  _did_ follow him, even when he was so young. He was a brat who always got his way.” 

Feldspar could imagine it. He’d only met the Wizard King once, and in that meeting he’d seen a magnificent mind, ruined by material desires. 

“Even as his friends, aware of his flaws, I would sometimes…find myself wrapped up in whatever ruses he conspired,” he let out an uncomfortable noise with a grimace of his face. “What I’m trying to say, is…” 

“I’m not sure what mischief you made as a kid can help excuse what I do as an adult.” 

The King shot him a scathing look. “I’m not excusing what you have done, Feldspar. I’m simply saying…I understand how it happened.” 

Feldspar didn’t have anything to say to that. He fell silent, allowing the words to fully soak in as they continued on their way to Vyenna. The King made no effort to make conversation either as they made their journey in silence.

\--

By the time they arrived at Vyenna the sun was nearly setting. The King looked worn, though whether it was a physical exhaustion or mental Feldspar wasn’t sure. They rode to the local stables to tie up their horses before Feldspar lead them through the familiar town to find a place to stay. 

Vyenna was a strange place. Different to the Crossroads, as people were much more approachable and friendly, including being more open about swindling you out of your money. He endeavoured not to be known by the vast majority of the town, picking and choosing where he was himself and where he was just like every other tourist. All smiles and starry eyed wonder. 

He gripped the King’s arm and pulled him closer, a kind smile on his face as he pointed out different shops and buildings, though his words were different: 

“If you don’t stop looking like a sour-puss I’m gonna leave you here.”

“Wha- _excuse me_?” 

“Smile a little. We’re meant to be blending in here.” 

“I’m not – I am smiling!” 

Feldspar dropped his smile long enough to give the King a flat look. 

“Well – I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” 

“Alright, then be fully sad. Like, heartbroken sad.” 

“What?” 

“I’ve got us covered just do it.” 

He could tell the King wanted to argue, but he finally relented with green eyes casting downwards. Feldspar wrapped an arm around his shoulder and guided his sickly companion through the streets towards his usual establishment of choice: The Peppermint Hippo. 

As soon as he started to push the doors open the King clocked on to what kind of establishment they were about to walk into, tensing under Feldspar’s arm and pulling back. 

“I am  _not_ -!” 

“Yes you are.” 

There was no room for argument as they entered the building, the noise of the place hitting them in an instant. It was loud, boisterous, with music dancing in the air as women danced on some of the tables. Men of all ages sat around chattering and drinking together as the stench of alcohol and perfume filled Feldspar’s nose. 

“A  _whore house_?” 

“Calm down and be quiet,” Feldspar snapped. “I have a friend here.” 

They moved through the crowds of people until they arrived at the counter, Feldspar forcing the King to sit down at the bar. The bartender came over with a smile across her face as she lent in close, lighting up at the sight of Kyle. 

“What can I get you strappin’ young fellas?” 

“You can get me Al, please.” 

“You got an appointment?” 

“Tell him it’s his favourite Keep criminal.” 

She flicked her brown hair as she spun round and disappeared into the back, some of the other girls looking over at them while they waited. Feldspar turned to see the expression on the King’s face, unable to stop himself from sniggering at the pained look on the pink cheeks. 

“What, this the first time you stepped foot in a place like this?” 

“Yes,” Kyle snapped quickly. “And I had never planned on stepping foot in a place like this.” 

“The owner’s pretty good. Discrete. Likes me, cause I did him a favour once.” 

“You did him a favour?” 

Before they could continue the conversation the girl reappeared with an bigger man on her arm. Even though he held her arm, he showed no sign of old age apart from the grey in his hair and the wrinkles on his face, his step spritely and his disposition warm as he placed a kiss on the girl’s cheek before she disappeared to serve more customers. He opened his arms wide and gestured at Feldspar with a coy smile and a cluck of his tongue. 

“Why look at you my little angel! I swear every time I see you, you get more and more handsome!” 

“Nice to see you too, Al.” 

The lisp in his voice was as prominent as the day they met. “What brings you around these parts, sugar?” 

“Y’know, work, same as usual. You got any rooms?” 

He did his best to ignore the way the King’s eyes zoned in on him in horror, but judging from the look on Al’s face the bigger man didn’t miss it at all. 

“I always got a room for you, darling! I’ll be sure to get you something more quiet, sweetie, don’t worry your pretty lil’ head off.” 

He turned to look at Kyle once Al had spoken to him with a wink, seeing a red begin to blossom across the King’s face. “I-wha-?!” 

“Y’all wanna follow me, I’ll grab you the key. Want me to come up with you?” 

“Please.” 

Al disappeared long enough for Feldspar to turn and face the Kingly Wrath, seeing the piercing green eyes glaring daggers at him. 

“You intend to  _stay here_?” 

“Don’t make a big deal,” Feldspar instructed in a finite tone, hoping that it would dissuade the man. “Yeah, this is where we’re gonna stay.” 

“Is there no-?” 

Al reappeared, all smiles and energy as he gestured for them to follow him. He chattered away as he usually did, talking about all the different things that had happened at the place since he’d last see Feldspar, all the excitement and the dull. He was always good at getting information across in a subtle manner. 

“Now you’ll let me know if you need anything, won’t you?” 

“Of course, Al. I’ll be down in a bit. Are they playing cards tonight?” 

“They will be over at the Hound, you know what they’re like for their little games!” Al took a step into the room, leaning close in. “Is there anything else?” 

“We’re looking for an elf, with grey eyes. You heard anything?” 

“I’ll keep an ear to the ground, cutie. You can count on me!” 

Al left the room with his usual flourish, leaving the pair on their own with the noise of the fine establishment muted behind the closed door. Feldspar wasted no time in pulling one of the bedside tables away from the wall and up by the side of the bed, dumping his pouch on the table and emptying the coins across the wooden surface. 

The King paced the room first, doing a full lap before stopping in front of Feldspar. The darker haired man didn’t bother to look up, instead he just started counting the money on the table and dividing it into piles as he waited for something from the redhead. He didn’t get what he expected.

“So, what are your rumours about the blood elves?” 

Feldspar looked up from his coin piles with a raised brow. “What do you mean?” 

“Bebe said you had rumours about what they do. What are they?” 

“Why don’t you tell me what  _special work_ they do first?” 

The king hesitated at the question. If there was one thing Feldspar was quickly learning it was that the king didn’t like parting with information about the details of the elven culture and people. It spoke volumes that he was willing to put his own life in Feldspar’s hands, but not information about his people. He’d go as far to say that he respected it. 

“They’re bounty hunters, of sorts.” 

“Of sorts?” 

“You have law keepers, who ensure your criminals kept under control. We have them, but…we also have blood elves. They’re a special kind of elf.” 

Feldspar looked back at his stacks. “We call them human hunters.” 

“I…see. Have you ever…?” 

“Once.” 

“Oh.” 

The silence that descended over them was stifling. Feldspar couldn’t bring himself to look up at the king. 

“What did you do?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Blood elves don’t kill mindlessly. They only find people who are considered a danger to elves, regardless of if their race.” 

Feldspar clucked his tongue in annoyance. This King seemed so adamant to dismiss his nature. “I agreed to assassinate their king, for the right price.” 

“So, you’ve murdered elves before?” 

He finally put down the coins and faced the king head on, ignoring the creeping guilt that was pricking the edges of his conscience. “I’ve murdered people before, regardless of their race. I don’t look at the shape of their ears.” 

“It’d have been a substantial amount for a blood elf to want your head.” 

“I don’t  _just_  assassinate, y’know? That’s my least favourite job. I’m not a killer, I’m a thief. It’s just that…the skills are interchangeable.” 

“And only one ever came for you?” 

“Maybe I didn’t see the others, but I’ve only been attacked by one.” 

“What did you say, when he asked your name?” 

Feldspar’s brow furrowed. “He didn’t ask my name.” 

“Then…” 

“I didn’t kill him.” 

Kyle’s jaw snapped closed. 

“We fought and he left before he could do any real damage to me.” 

“I see. Perhaps you were more in his way, then.” 

“What, you can’t handle travelling with some big-shot elf enemy? Gotta keep dismissing my wrong-doings?” 

“Hardly. I can’t see you doing enough damage to be the enemy of anything.” 

“You seem pretty worried about it,” Feldspar argued with a smirk. 

“I’m just – curious. As to what  _you_  could’ve possibly done.” 

“I’m offended, your highness. Do you doubt my skills?” 

The smile that played on the pale lips opposite him had him stopping in his tracks. “You’re offended? Getting a little sensitive, aren’t we?” 

“To what? Your barbs?” 

“Precisely. Trying to impress me, Mr. Big-Shot Enemy?” 

_Yes._

Feldspar tore his eyes away, looking back down at the coins on the table. Across from him he heard the king clear his throat, an awkwardness settling the air where electricity used to be. 

“Why are you counting out money?” 

 “Seeing as you insist on helping everyone we come across  _for free_ , I’m resorting to other ways to get funds for your little jaunt to find your friend.” 

Kyle turned his nose up at the cash on the table. “Gambling isn’t exactly a reliable source of income, y’know.” 

“Maybe if you’re some town drunk, sure.” 

“You don’t…play the cards, do you?” 

It was almost cute, how surprised Kyle seemed. “Oh, your  _highness_. I’m a  _thief_. What do you think?” 

Kyle sat down opposite him with a confident smile. “I think you should teach me.” 

“Teach you?” 

“Yes!” Kyle placed his hands on the table. “I’ve gambled before, briefly. It was a…family tradition. But I’ve never gambled using your human games. You should teach me.” 

“You’re joking.” 

“I’m not! I’ll even use my own money.” 

Feldspar leant back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “Alright, I’ll teach you my favourite one. Poker.” 

“Bring it.” 

Shortly after explaining the rules, Kyle compared it to one of his own games, titled with a word from elven tongue. He said there were a couple of rule differences, but nothing he couldn’t handle. 

Feldspar wasn’t prepared. 

He had a pretty exceptional poker face from what he’d been told, but the sheer blankness from the usually expressive King threw him off guard. He kept it together, seeing a few moments of hesitation between the tactical façade, yet… 

“I was going easy on you,” Feldspar declared as he played his losing hand. “Rematch.” 

“You sure?” Kyle had a smile on his face as he teased. “I know how important money is to you.” 

“Yeah, well, I’ll just steal it back off you when you’re not looking.” 

“Alright then.” 

They played until darkness had properly settled in outside, rotating through a few different games, until Feldspar realised he’d reached the limit on how much he allowed himself to spend. He had beaten the King on a couple of occasions, but when he’d spoke of gambling being a family tradition he hadn’t been kidding. 

Instead he decided it was time for Kyle to face someone who wasn’t sort of sharing his money anyway. They headed downstairs, though the redhead seemed a little less confident at the idea of his skills actually being put to the test. 

Feldspar locked the door to the room they had been given, hiding the key round his neck and under his shirt as he led them down the stairs to the main room. He couldn’t resist peaking a glance at the King’s face, seeing a dusting of pink on his cheeks as they passed the sights of the Peppermint Hippo, and found himself sniggering at the man’s expense. He did his best to school his expression as the King jabbed him in the back and told him to hush. 

The Hound was a different kind of boisterous, but still just as noisy and energetic as the Peppermint Hippo. Drunken humans staggered about, a quiet corner of the room that Feldspar gravitated to. There was a man there with a gap-toothed smile who sent them a wink on approach. 

“Hey there, kid. It’s been a while since I saw your ugly-mug round here. You lookin’ to play some games?” 

“Nah, my friend’ll play though. Go easy on him. He’s pretty new.” 

There was a murmur of amusement from those already seated round some tables, eyes peering over to where Kyle stood, regal confidence deflated. 

“Aye, he looks pretty new,” the man running the games noted. “But everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right?” 

“Exactly. How much?” 

“Just a fraction of your winnin’s, if there’s any to be had – now, who’s gonna be so kind as to welcome this kind fella to their table?” 

Kyle got settled at a table with three others, all who looked similar age to them both. Feldspar got two drinks from the bar, dropping one on the table next to Kyle before he made himself comfortable on the bench with the gap-toothed elder. The man buzzed with energy as he watched the games take place, nudging Feldspar at moments and chuckling away. He smelt too much like booze for Feldspar’s sober state, but it wasn’t long before the pair of them were on their third drink each. 

Long enough for Kyle to get his confidence back, cold regal attitude back in place. Feldspar found himself openly laughing with his new drinking companion as another player was wiped from the table, and at Kyle’s first fold he called it quits while he was ahead. 

“I trust this is sufficient to make up for any money I’ve cost you,” the King stated as he dropped his winnings into Feldspar’s lap. 

“I can’t say you weren’t of use again, I guess.” 

“Y’all should know never to trust someone who says they’re new!” the game runner let out a loud, boisterous laugh as he landed a solid punch in Feldspar’s shoulder. “Y’re always good entertainment, kid. Anythin’ you need? Y’re always lookin’ for somethin’.” 

“Someone, this time,” Feldspar explained. “Though I don’t expect a drunk like you to remember passers by.” 

“Y’never know! I might!” he leant in close. “Hit me, kid. Who y’looking for?” 

“An elf, with grey eyes. Can’t see many elves through here, can you?” 

“Nah, not that many…lemme just think about that’n.” 

Feldspar looked over to Kyle, who had his fingers curled into nervous fists at his sides despite the smile on his face. 

“Come to think about it…there was one fella, tho’ I dunno about his eyes. He played a mighty fine tune on his lute, had everyone dancin’! Ain’t met a man who didn’t like him, even if he was an elf.” 

“Sounds like the bard.” 

They both turned to Kyle, Feldspar with a furrowed brow and the man with a wide grin. 

“Aye, the bard! That sounds familiar. He said he was headin’ over to do some business with them barbarians. Y’know what it’s like, lookin’ for them barbarians.” 

Oh boy did he know. 

“He’s the only elf I’ve seen through here recently!” 

“Thank you,” Kyle spoke with a genuine smile. “I really appreciate it.” 

“Thank you for being such a good sport, kiddo! You two best scram, ‘fore one of them boys thinks about stealin’ that money back.” 

Feldspar was quick to grab Kyle’s hand and the bag of winnings as he said a goodnight and dragged his travel companion out of the tavern. The cold air outdoors did nothing to help the alcohol in his system, sending it spinning to his head as they arrived back at the Peppermint Hippo. In the time they’d been away it had gotten quieter in the downstairs area, though the sounds of upstairs was bleeding down and setting a real tone for the place. 

Feldspar couldn’t quite let himself get drawn into it. Not when he was still reeling with the information that his friend at The Hound had given him. 

He was quick to lock the door to their room as they arrived, spinning round to Kyle full of questions that needed answering. 

“The bard? Is that who we’re looking for? Why would you keep  _the bard_ a secret?” 

“The bard isn’t who we’re looking for, he just might know something. It’s a good person to ask. He knows exactly who I’m looking for.” 

“Oh, yeah,  _the bard_ knows, but I don’t.” 

“The bard is loyal to the elves. If you humans got charmed by his tricks, it’s not my fault.” 

“I’m charmed by  _nobody_.” 

“Sure you’re not.” 

Feldspar felt his temper flare. “From what I remember, you were the only one getting charmed by your blood elf.” 

The King spluttered at the accusation. “Only because you had the perfect scape goat!” 

“This is ridiculous,” Feldspar muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to get a drink.” 

Before he had a chance to get to the door, a hand was wrapped round his arm pulling him back roughly. “No! You will explain yourself to me, this instant.” 

“You’re not my King,  _your majesty_. I don’t have to do shit.” 

“As your employer!” 

He practically growled at that one. 

“Do not make me ask twice.” 

“You’re just – this whole secrecy thing, trying to hide this person yet asking me to help you find them. You don’t trust me, I get it, so why do you then keep trying to make it out like I’m a good person?” Feldspar spat back, closing in on the man. “Is it to make yourself feel better? Feel less guilty if you can convince yourself I’m secretly not a total asshole?” 

“What if I’m trying to convince  _you_?” 

Feldspar stopped. 

“Maybe I do see something good in you. Maybe I want you to see it too.” 

He stared at the elf, allowing the words to sink in. It was a strange admission and a lot less long-winded that he’d come to expect from the royal asshole. But it was something. Enough to get him to pause and internally grimace and want to flee via the closest window into the night. 

He also didn’t know how to respond. 

“I don’t mean to…” Kyle sighed, knocking his hood down so he could run a hand through his hair. Past the pointed ears that caused an unpleasant churn of Feldspar’s stomach. “This journey has been difficult. We spend a lot of time together and I don’t mean to make it uncomfortable for you. I apologise with how vague I’ve had to be but…” he fidgeted in a very un-kingly manner. “I did not expect humans to live so far apart from one another. I thought it would be-!” 

“Easier?” 

“Yes. Admittedly, yes.” 

Feldspar clucked his tongue. 

“If you’re so adamant that I don’t put you in a gracious light, surely you should be pleased I don’t trust you?” 

He should. He knew that. It wasn’t-it was  _understandable_. 

“Or perhaps this whole ordeal is just as confusing for you. Exceptional circumstances, and all?” 

Feldspar held the king’s green gaze, gritting his teeth as he allowed it all to sink in before he chose the words to respond with. “Tomorrow we’ll set out for the barbarian camp. It’s a direction at least, rather than wandering aimlessly. You don’t need to tell me anything about your friend, but you stop trying to be my friend as well, okay?” 

Kyle had the decency to look embarrassed. “But we have to spend who knows how long together, just the two of us travelling, how are we-?” 

“We’re an employer and his apprentice. That’s all.” 

“You’re pretty old for an apprentice.” 

“I’ve got away with weirder things. Blending in is one of my many talents.” 

He pursed his lips. Looked out the window. 

“This is a relationship of necessity. Let’s not complicate it.” 

“Fine. Tell me, how do you plan on finding the barbarians?” 

“Easy. Al’ll be able to point us in the right direction.” 

They retired to bed with an easier air about them. After the King’s initial irritation wore off he began treating Feldspar with the air of a superior rather than a companion, and it suited the darker haired male just fine. Feldspar set up camp on the bench by the window as the elf fell into a slumber on the beds. The noises of the brothel kept him up for some time, staring out the window and planning his next move. 

He turned to the King, peacefully sleeping away, and there was a moment where Feldspar wavered. The King of the Drow Elves may have been paying him considerably more than the Wizard King, but… 

It would be easier to just slit his throat in his sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I haven't proof read this. And for that I'm very sorry. I just feel kinda bad for taking so long to write it (and it's shorter than the first too, but I figured this is a nice place to end) I just 
> 
> Half this chapter was very spur-of-the-moment. I never intended for the scenes in the brothel to be so emotional. It was gonna be innuendos and comedy and then THIS happened. 
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed it still!!


	3. Chapter 3

He was correct in his assumption that Al would know where to head for the barbarians. Feldspar headed down to the bar early in the morning, seeing a few of the girls moaning and groaning to each other about various sore parts of their bodies or about the lack of sore parts. Al was exactly where he expected him to be when the Peppermint Hippo wasn’t open yet: lounging about in the bar area. 

“Feldspar, my precious boy! Where’s your handsome friend?” 

“Still asleep,” he replied as he sat down opposite the bigger man. Leaving the King of the  Drow  Elves alone in a room probably wasn’t the smartest, but he hadn’t the heart to wake him. Or the nerve to face him. “ You got anything for us?” 

Al whipped out a sheet of paper which had a list of names and locations. “ Grey eyes was a bit vague, so most of these are just ‘elves’ that people remember. Sorry it’s not more specific.” 

“It’s a start,” Feldspar muttered. “ And with names Kyle can hopefully find the one he wants.” 

“Do you not know their name?” 

“No. We’re also looking for the barbarians. Know where they’re set up?” 

Al’s eyes flashed at the mention of the tribe of strong individuals. “ Oh sweetie,  I  _ always  _ know where they’re set up.” 

It didn’t take Kyle long before he appeared at the top of the stairs,  his bags on his arms and his hood pulled up to cover his ears.  He stood there for a few moments, eyes flittering across the room below before he began to descend. Most of the girls lost interest quickly, recognising him as Not a Customer, and went back to their own conversations. 

“It’s not often you bring someone with you, darling.” 

Feldspar shot Al a withering look. 

“I’m just  sayin ’, he’s awfully cute.” 

“I’m all the cute I need.” 

Al gave a giggle at that before he turned to Kyle, who was finally joining them. “Hey sweetie, did you sleep okay?” 

“I did. I slept fine.” 

“I’m glad to hear it. I heard you two  wanna  go find those barbarians.” 

“Yes, that’s the plan.” 

“Careful this one doesn’t get side-tracked by any of them. You don’t  wanna  lose him!” 

“ _ Thanks _ , Al,” Feldspar ground out through his embarrassment. 

The large man gave a charming wink. “Lucky for you two  chickies , I know where you’ll be heading.” 

Some of the girls swanning about paused to poke and question Kyle, a new face to be curious about, while Al finished up directing them towards the barbarian encampment. By the time he’d finished up and Feldspar stood, Kyle shot to his feet and was practically pressed up to Feldspar’s side. He couldn’t help but laugh at the poor King’s flustered state. 

They left the building to streets devoid of people. A town like this was never awake before the sun was at  its  highest peak, as it would stay awake throughout the night.  They retrieved their horses with little fuss and left the town in silence. 

He could tell Kyle wanted to  speak. Every now and then he’d hear the sharp intake of breath, or see the King fidgeting out the corner of his vision. He felt a pang of guilt that he quickly pushed aside, reminding himself of who he was and his position. 

He wasn’t in this out of some misguided sense of right-ness, and he wasn’t doing it entirely because he was employed to do so. He was doing it because he didn’t have a choice. He hadn’t had a lot of options, staring down the blade of Knight Stanley’s sword. 

“How long will it take?” 

The usually composed voice was strained. He continued to ignore the guilt. “If we don’t stop, it should take us until sundown. They aren’t too far.” 

A huff of annoyance. “Human’s need to keep themselves closer together. ” 

He most definitely  _ did not  _ smile. 

He was banking on a quiet journey. Hopeful that once they met with the bard, he would point them in the right direction, and by the next two days he would be heading home with enough cash in his wallet that he could go run away from the Wizard King’s sight after not completing his job. Never work again and appear to have been killed while trying to assassinate the Elven King. 

Things never really went the way he wanted. 

They were undisturbed long enough for them to have shared a meal on the back of the horses, Kyle laughing at him a s he nearly fell from the animal. The King  seemed quite proud of the fact that on horseback he was definitely the more skilled of the two. 

Feldspar rode slightly behind the King to keep up with his idea that he should be playing the part of apprentice. They continued without stopping for so long that his mind had began to wander when they came close to the edge of the hilled area Al had directed them to. 

“Feldspar.” 

He snapped out his thoughts at the call of his name, focusing in on the King to see his shoulders hitched up and his knuckles white.  He followed the line of s ight to where  a group of humans were emerging from the foliage and rocks that surrounded the path into the area.  

“They’re blocking the path.” 

“I know.” 

The man at the front gave a scowl as the pair got close, stepping forward to meet them.  Six in total had emerged from their hidey holes, looking every bit the part of a classic bandit group. All humans  of  different sizes. He wished he’d been paying more attention. 

“Off the horses.” 

Feldspar moved without much thought, pleased that Kyle followed his lead at least. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever fee they asked for Kyle would have on him. It would be less trouble than attempting to get past them. 

“Show us your ears.” 

He hesitated. 

The panic was instantaneous, and looking at their faces he could tell they picked up on it.  A couple of them were staring at Kyle’s face. 

Feldspar cursed himself for ever agreeing to this mess. 

As soon as he started to move all eyes were on him.  He raised his hands to his hat, gripping the knitted yarns that covered his ears tightly before removing it from his head. He brushed his black hair out the way on his left side to reveal a perfectly round, perfectly human ear. The man opposite him practically snarled i n disappointment. 

“ Satisfied?” Feldspar drawled. “Let us pass.” 

“I don’t think so,”  one of the women further back snapped and  jabbed her knife in the direction of Kyle. “Hood down.” 

Kyle scowled down with all the superiority Feldspar knew he possessed. “We did your ridiculous test, do not push me further.” 

“We’re not letting any pointy-eared  _ elves  _ through.” 

Kyle stepped forward, reaching into his cloak to withdraw a  hefty coin bag . While the attention was off him  Feldspar  dropped a hand down to his own cloak, attempting to retrieve his knife while they were distracted. His head felt cold without the comfort of his hat covering his ears. Exposed.

“You got your proof, and here’s your money. Let us pass.” 

The coins made a solid  thud as they hit the floor. The humans still didn’t budge. 

There was a satisfied smile beginning to spread across the bandit’s face as she repeated: “Hood down.” 

Feldspar struck before they had a chance to. He darted forward  with trained speed as he struck the closest bandit to himself, thankfully one of the bigger ones to take out first. He drove the knife into the man’s side as he let out a wail of pain, and feldspar reached round to where he knew all bandits kept their knives: the back of their belt. 

Basic. He’d never get tired of the same, stupid bandits. 

The others  sprung  into action. The one who had held the knife came straight for him, along with some of the others. None of them thought to go for the unarmed traveller. He jumped and swerved when the first two came at him, knocking them together and kicking them to the ground. Three of them left still standing. 

The next one came on his own, bigger than the others with his fist pulled back as he gave out a roar. Feldspar readied his weapons, ducking low and striking up with the knives held like snake teeth, sinking into each side of his neck. He braced himself as he was picked up and tossed high, cursing as one of the knives stayed lodged in the man’s neck. 

The other he had a tight grip on, tearing from the flesh and leaving a trail of blood in the air as he went flying. He rolled into the landing, not causing any damage other than a thud of pain in his back. 

He didn’t expect the woman to have been so quick on the mark. She had  ran  to meet him where he’d land, getting him before he had a chance to stand properly. She pounced and knocked them both down onto the floor, eyes wide and manic above him. 

Feldspar wrestled her onto her back and gave a smug smirk at the cry of frustration she gave. He tilted his head back with full intention on headbutting her and knocking her out. 

“Look out!” 

He looked up just in time to see the final bandit come at him. He tried to roll out the way, but the woman below him still had hold of his arms and kept him in place as a knife swept along his side. 

What really hurt was the swift kick into the wound that the guy delivered before he went rolling across the ground. He tried not to let his pride be too hurt by the sound of their laughter either. 

He didn’t expect the ground to start shaking beneath him. 

He rolled onto his back and looked over as the wind began to pick up, as if there was a vacuum of space it was rushing to. He watched the bandits begin to scream, eyes travelling to where they were running from and where the wind was running to. 

They got their wish. His hood had been blown down.

Kyle’s hands were on the ground and he gave a steadily building war cry as the shaking ground grew worse. Feldspar was thankful he was already down as a few of the fleeing bandits fell over from the quake, the ground cracking at their feet. The coin bag dropped through a crack. He felt his heart drop with it. 

The shaking ground was making him dizzy.

It seemed to be over faster than it had happened, and suddenly Kyle’s face was blocking out the sky, hands against his cheeks and running through his hair. The anger and fury that had been on his face moments before had disappeared and left the face of a man who wasn’t used to panicking. 

“The horses, they – shit, why did I use the earth?! I should’ve known, I should’ve  _ thought more _ -!” 

“I always thought magic sucked,” Feldspar wheezed. “But you make it look pretty cool.” 

“We need to get you to the barbarians. You have to stay conscious.” 

“I am conscious.” 

“You blacked out, Feldspar. You need to stay with me.” 

“Where else am I  gonna  go?” 

He groaned as the world  spinned  around him and Kyle got closer.  

“Stop doing magic.” 

“I’m carrying you, you idiot! Why did you run  in  like that?!” 

“ Gotta  keep you safe. Your asshole knight told me to.” 

The wind began to pick up again. A soft, gentle wind. The kind of wind he liked, like he was walking through a valley. 

“Pick up your feet more. I can’t drag you.” 

He raised his knees as high as they would go as his head rested against Kyle’s. He groaned at the feeling of someone so close and vaguely registered he still didn’t have his hat. 

“I need my hat.” 

“I have it. It’s in my hand.” 

“I  wanna  wear it.” 

“You can wear it when we get to the barbarians. Just – shit, I don’t know where we’re going.” 

The sky began to grow dark. Or maybe that was just his eyes closing. 

Were his eyes already closed? 

“Feldspar, come on. Keep awake.” 

“ Don’wanna .” 

“We’re nearly there. I’m sure we’re nearly there.” 

“We are there.” 

“No, we’re really not.” 

“Just...here’s fine. Let’s take a break.” 

“Excuse me? Excuse me! My friend – my friend is hurt!” 

Feldspar groaned as he tried to pull back from the King at the loud shouting so close to his ear. Whatever he did was too much  for  their balance as they began to tumble. 

The sky got even darker. 

\--

When he came to, it was surrounded by a familiar sm ell . The scent alone brought a smile to his lips before he’d even opened his eyes. It wasn’t until he felt shuffling to his right that he pulled himself to properly, looking over to see someone kneeling by his side with a bowl of water. 

“Hey.” 

His greeting was met with a snarl and a scowl. The usual from the erratic man beside him. It only made him feel even more at home. “ _ Unconscious _ . Brought into camp unconscious by  _ the King of the  _ _ Drow _ _  Elves _ .” 

“Nice to see you too ,  Tweek .” 

“What the hell were you thinking?” 

“I was thinking I’d rather not be killed.” 

“He threatened you?” 

“No. Yes. Sort of.” 

Hazel eyes narrowed. “Explain.” 

“The Wizard King hired me to assassinate him. He caught me.” 

Any last shred of composure  Tweek  was holding onto  was lost at that. His arms went up in the air, brows pulling down with a face red with anger. “The Wizard King? The  _ Wizard King _ ?! Are you fucking crazy?!  You’ve finally gone of the deep end –  _ what have I told you about Kings _ ? Don’t interfere in politics because it ends up with you stabbed and raped in some back alley!” 

“ Y’know , I always thought you were being dramatic, but…” 

“But then you got  _ stabbed  _ and knocked unconscious by bandits!” 

“Yeah. Then that happened.”

He bristled at that and hissed through his teeth: “That’s what you get.” 

“I’m not that injured,” Feldspar pointed out as he sat up,  raising his shirt to try inspect the side that they’d caught him on.

“You were lucky.  Just a scratch.” 

No doubt a scratch that their tribe healer fixed without complaint. 

“Your royal companion refused to leave you alone. I had to drag him out the tent.” 

“Where is he now?” 

“With the elders, waiting.  He said he didn’t want to discuss business until you were awake.” 

That caused him to falter. As far as he knew, they’d come to see the bard and ask about where Kyle’s friend was, so why he needed to wait for Feldspar was beyond him. His confusion must have showed on his face, as  Tweek’s  eyes darted around the tent and he chewed his lip uncomfortably. 

“Are you…he seemed pretty torn up?” 

“He’s soft. It’s kind of pathetic.” 

The concern dropped to annoyance. “You could do with some soft.” 

“So you’ve told me before.” 

Tweek  huffed out and pushed himself to his feet before heading straight for the door without another word.  Feldspar didn’t wait too long before following. The blonde wasn’t known for his undying patience. 

Outside it looked just as it always did; organised chaos. Large caravans set up with tents sprawled out around them in the clearing, sheltered by the hills and trees from the wind. He followed his friend through a familiar layout. Even when they picked up and moved, the camp seemed to follow similar patterns no matter where they were. 

The campfire was set up. Feldspar  wasn’t sure exactly what time of day it was but it was dark, and there were only a handful of people sat round. Kyle was easy to pick out; red hair lit up by the flames and face looking a little paler than usual. A man sat next to him that Feldspar knew to be the bard. It was hard not to cross paths with the charming elf. Yet even the soft song he was strumming out didn’t seem to be doing anything for the King’s mood. 

It wasn’t until green eyes looked up and locked with grey that there was any movement of expression on his face. 

“Feldspar!” 

He was on his feet, though didn’t move from  his spot. The bard continued to play his song as  Tweek  settled down on the logs that surrounded their fire pit, waiting for Feldspar to join him. 

When he sat, the King did too. 

“Are you alright?” 

He nodded with a wry smile. “Yeah, they patched me up pretty good. Are you?” 

“I’m fine, just…tired. It was a lot of magic.” 

“Yeah. It was.” 

“Feldspar, I’ve been told you’re  th -the one I should  blame  for escorting our reckless leader into-in-into the wilds of human territory?” 

He  shrugged it off. “You’re welcome.” 

The brown eyes glistened with mischief. “I hope he-he-wasn’t too much of a handful?” 

“He was.” 

A bubbling laugh followed and the joyful brunette elbowed his King in the side.  “Why am I not-am I-am I not surprised?” 

One of the elders that Feldspar recognised reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, a kind smile hidden behind the long black beard. “It’s good to see you up. You weren’t too hurt. You’ve come to us worse.” 

“Thanks,  for  looking after me.” 

“It’s what we do.” 

Another turned to Kyle with a similar smile. “Young King. Why don’t you share with us what you need, now that your friend has joined?” 

“Yes, that’s...I should. I didn’t mean to keep you all waiting.” 

The bard rested a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Th- th -they'll understand.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kyle let out, looking up across the fire  to Feldspar . “I haven’t been honest.” 

His breath caught in his throat as he stared into the green eyes that h ad fire flickering within them.

“The person I’m looking for…is someone I’ve never met. I knew if I told you that, you would never agree to help me find them. All I know about their appearance is that it is said their eyes reflect the anger of the storms. Our seer ’ s prophesised of him, that one day he would be able to defeat a great evil that lurks within the Great Wizard’s hands.” 

His heart stopped. He felt  Tweek’s  hand wrap round his arm. 

“Why don’t you tell us the story?” one of  elders  suggested. “Then we may be able to help you find  your friend .” 

“Alright…” Kyle sucked in a breath before he started. “It’s said that there would be a Great Wizard who would harbour a great evil, great enough to destroy both Kingdoms. At the end of the war, after our final fight, I saw the Wizard’s mind, as he saw my own. He is broken. Not the boy he once was. I know that he is the Great Wizard that our stories tell of. 

“There is only one elf who is able to defeat what he plans on unleashing, a monster great and dark who cannot come to be. An elf who is of elven blood, but human habit. Who was raised amongst humans and has lived with them all his life. He holds a great power within himself, and with angelic light from those eyes of storms, no darkness will remain. He will defeat the great evil. 

“But I must find him,” Kyle pressed, his regal tone coming back. “I must find him and bring him back to our people, so we may defeat this great evil before it’s too late. I never expected it to be…so hard, to find an elf in human lands.” 

“P-P--Perhaps we’ve been – been going about this the wrong way, your majesty.” 

All eyes fell on the bard.  Feldspar felt the dread sinking  in . 

“Maybe, we should be looking f-f-for a human.” 

_ No. _

“What…?” 

“Any-any-any elf I’ve met in human lands before has-has been-has been disguise d as a human, ”  he explained. “Otherwise, they get caught in the shit.” 

_ No this couldn’t be happening.  _

Tweek  didn’t hesitate. “Elves can’t hide for that long amongst humans. They get caught. Humans are too suspicious.” 

“Feldspar…you hid in elven territory, didn’t you? Even  Bebe  mistook you for an elf.” 

He forced his face to remain passive  despite the rising panic . “For a grand total of five seconds, sure.” 

“But you have done it.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I have. It’s part of my job.” 

“So it is possible…?” 

Feldspar stood as a scowl appeared on his face and he diverted his eyes from the green ones across the pit .  He instead turned to the dark sky and clouds that blocked the stars from view.  He needed to  _ leave _ .  “I think I need more sleep.” 

“Feldspar-!” 

“No, really. I’m tired. We’ve had a long day.” 

Kyle didn’t argue with that. 

As Feldspar turned and begun walking back to the tent  a little bit too fast not to be suspicious , he could hear the light hurried footsteps of  Tweek  behind him. The energy that radiated off the other man was practically electric and despite the migraine that was beginning to form in his brain he knew it was nothing compared to the hell  Tweek  was going to unleash on him. 

_ I haven’t been honest.  _

He pushed open the door to the tent he had woken up in. He was pretty sure it was  Tweek’s  tent, given the familiar stash of burnt brown beans he kept in a woven basket. 

_ With angelic light from  _ _ those eyes  _ _ of _ _  storms _ _ , no darkness will remain.  _

Tweek  was on him in a second, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him round with fury in his eyes. It was a look Feldspar knew well. The blonde was worried.  _ Feldspar  _ was worried. 

“He’s talking about you!”  Tweek  hissed through his teeth. “You’re the elf with the stormy eyes!” 

“Keep your voice down, alright?!” Feldspar snapped back as a hot rush of panic shot through him. It always did when he was reminded.  “He’s talking about some vague fairy-tale!” 

Tweek  scoffed. “ _ Vague _ ?! Are you fucking serious?!” 

“I don’t have time for this.” 

“How long do you think you can keep up this façade? Huh? How long before he figures out you’ve been lying to him?” 

“You just have to bring everything back to accusing me of being a liar, don’t you?” 

“It’s your  _ job _ ! Your job is literally about lying and cheating! How-?!  Stop trying to distract me !” 

Feldspar  turned away with a scowl on his face. 

“ He’s looking for you.  What are you going to do?” 

It was true. There was no point in denying it. There was no one else he could think of. Unless it was common for elves to be able to shoot light out their eyes. But he didn’t  _ want  _ it to be him. He didn’t want to go back to that. He couldn’t go back to that. 

That elf had been dead  for  years. He was Feldspar the human now. It was how he wanted it to stay. 

He sighed, dropping his anger. “I don’t know. I don’t want to…be sucked into whatever the hell they’re doing. Their war has done enough damage. I’m not being part of it.” 

“Do you think there’s any truth in his story?” 

“People can’t see the future. They’ll find another way.” 

Tweek  gave a soft hum as he calmed down. “You’re  gonna  need to figure out a way to shake the King, else he’s  gonna  find out.” 

“I…have the  changing  charm.” 

“What?” 

Feldspar rested a hand on his hat. “The one that hides my ears.” 

“That you buy from the  _ witch _ ?!” 

“Yes.” 

“You know how dangerous that woman is!”  Tweek  insisted. “You let her mess with you like that?” 

He pulled the hat off, turning it inside out to expose the sewn-in pockets of spores that held the glamour charm.  “It costs a lot. In money and favours. But…I have skills she needs. Besides, I usually use it sparingly, only when I have to.” 

“You keep it in the hat. To use when you take it off.” 

“Yeah, I do. He’s seen me without it.” 

Tweek  gave him that  _ look  _ that he’d grown to hate. The look of pity, as hazel eyes drifted over to the side of his head where his ears  were. 

“Stop it.” 

“Sorry.” 

He tugged his hat back over his head, covering the things from view. He hated having his ears out. Hated feeling exposed. 

Like he could  _ be  _ exposed. 

“ You need to shake him.” 

“I know.” 

“Do you?”  Tweek  pressed as he stepped closer with a fire in his eyes. “He’s soft, you said it. And he’s paying you to help him find this  _ mystery elf _ . How are you going to get rid of that?” 

“I’ll...try convince him to give up, I guess. To find another way. Maybe we could convince him the Wizard isn’t a threat?” 

“You saw the look on his face. He knows what he’s seen.” 

“I thought about just killing him, last night.” 

Tweek  was silent. 

“We argued. It wasn’t important. But this whole thing...I thought it’d be an easy way to get out of the Wizard’s job. But it’s not.” 

“You still could. Kill him.” 

The silence that settled over them was heavy. His lack of response was the only answer that  Tweek  needed to know that he wasn’t going to. He could give a million reasons why he shouldn’t. It was a foolish thing to do. There was no stopping the Wizard King from sending him to his death and using him as a scape goat once the job was done. Stanley might make good on his promise. There really would be no one to stand up  to  the Wizard. 

Tweek  would see through him, know his excuse to be nothing more than an excuse.  Tweek  always knew. 

“How long have you been travelling together?” 

“A week, maybe?” 

Tweek  snorted. “Is that it? Your heart used to be harder than that.” 

“I guess I’ve got you to blame for that. Making me soft.” 

“I guess you should stop spending time with us softies.” 

There was the sound of someone approaching.  Tweek  was on edge instantly, though Feldspar knew the footsteps by now, even if they were soft. He put a hand on the blonde’s shoulder to signal for him to calm down as a shadow appeared at the door to the tent. 

“Give us a moment, would you?” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” 

Tweek  nodded and disappeared out the tent. The pair exchanged a few muffled words outside, friendly and respectful. 

When Kyle entered, he looked even more tired than Feldspar felt. 

“ Tweek ...he seems really nice.” 

“He is,” Feldspar agreed. “I’ve known him for a long time. From before he joined the barbarians.” 

“Before?” 

“I helped him get here. One of the first jobs I ever had.” 

The King so clearly wanted to press, but thankfully thought better of it. Instead he approached Feldspar with a grim line to his lips, though he kept his chin high and held his eyes. Still as stubborn as ever. 

“I wanted to apologise. Properly. For deceiving you like this.” 

“We all have our little lies, your majesty. I. ..understand  why you did it. You’re right. I probably wouldn’t have agreed to come with you.” 

“Will you still help me?” 

He let the grimace show on his face. Played it up. “Look, I’ve seen elves who tried to live here through the war. I’ve had to help some of them escape back to your land, or to the mountains. And what you describe is an elf who lives with humans. The only place that humans and elves truly live in peace is here, with the barbarians. If your elf is  gonna  be anywhere, it’ll be here. Otherwise...they’ll probably already be dead.” 

“Then we’ll search the camp  in  the morning.” 

“Did any of the barbarians seem to know someone matching your description?” 

To his credit, the King didn’t show any sign of wavering. “No, but they’ve lived together a long time. It can be difficult to think of someone so close being someone so special.” 

“Right, sure.” 

“There are enchantments that could hide an elf amongst humans. Glamour's, for instance.” 

Feldspar snorted. “I  ain’t  no magic expert, but I don’t think any enchantments meant to last that long. ” 

“No, but...if used sparingly...” 

“Kyle.” 

The use of his name caught the redhead  offguard . 

“How long do you plan on looking for this elf?” 

“As long as it takes.” 

“If the Wizard King is the threat you say he is...” 

_ Won’t that take too long?  _

Kyle finally looked down at the floor, the weariness on his face showing  in  the badly lit tent. “I just have to hope I’ll be faster.” 

“Maybe there’s another way?” 

“There’s...one other option I have.” 

“Alright, let’s hear it.” 

“I take down the Wizard myself.” 

A shot of cold ran through his body. When the green eyes looked back up, Feldspar could see that it wasn’t a joke. There was nothing but grim determination. 

“You’re not going back home without finishing this, are you?” 

A wry smile as Kyle asked: “I thought you wanted to stop being so concerned about each other?” 

“Touche.” 

“But no, I’m not. There are measures in place already. My brother has nearly finished his training to take over the throne, and is acting in my place with our father as his regent for the time being.” 

“But your knight, he’s expecting you to return.” 

“Like I said to you before. His duty is to be the personal guard  to  the King. Which is what he is doing right now.” 

Feldspar’s mouth went dry. 

“Stan...my friend, he  _ hopes  _ I’ll return. He isn’t expecting it.” 

He didn’t have any words to say. 

Instead Kyle shrugged it off, a smile on his face and a glint of mischief in his eyes as he spoke. “I suppose this time you’re the one who’s been played  for  the fool?” 

“Yeah. Looks like it.” 

“You look tired, Feldspar. If we are to continue our search tomorrow, then we should rest while we have the chance.” 

“Wait.” 

The King stopped in his tracks, raising a brow as Feldspar reached into his bag to retrieve a modest coin bag. “This is yours.” 

Kyle took it with narrowed eyes and a badly hidden smile. “Why do you have one of my coin bags?” 

“I have two, actually. I trusted myself with them more than you. I figured if you’re  gonna  trust me with your big elf-y secret...” 

“You’re not going to give me the other one?” 

“I don’t trust you  _ that  _ much.” 

The smile that Kyle gave him almost hurt his heart. The redhead didn’t say anything else as he left the tent. Feldspar sat down on the ground next to  Tweek’s  bedroll, slipping his gloved hand under his hat to where his ears were, wrapping a hand round the pointed end. 

Not for the first time Feldspar wished he hadn’t been born an elf. 

He couldn’t imagine himself doing anything as heroic as Kyle described in his campfire story. He was no prophesised hero, destined for greatness. He was just Feldspar, the thief. He hadn’t known the frightened elf with beams of angelic light in countless years. From before he was Feldspar. From before he met  Tweek . 

But what was he going to be risking, if Kyle’s only other option was to face the Wizard King on his own? It shouldn’t have mattered to him. But it  _ did _ , and he couldn’t deny it anymore. Kyle mattered. 

By the time  Tweek  returned to the tent, he’d already passed out on the floor. He wouldn’t know how much his words of warning had affected the king until the next morning. Wouldn’t know the damage he’d done with the suggestion that they may run out of time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The barbarian elder's in my mind are the Mongolians. Not the whole tribe is, because they get outcasts and runaways, but the elders are. 
> 
> I know this isn't massively long, and I hope I didn't fuck up the Big Reveal too much. There was a lot of writing in this chapter that isn't my forte, like action and mystery, so that's why it's a little lacklustre. I'm really proud of myself for doing it though!!


	4. Chapter 4

For the first time when Feldspar woke up, King Kyle was already awake. Feldspar left  Tweek’s  tent to find him with the bard and two of the elders, speaking to various elves of the camp. I t  was a little cowardly, but Feldspar chose not to join them.  He watched from afar as the two elves made their way through the camp searching for their prophesied hero. 

They finished with  Tweek . Feldspar watched him uncomfortably squirm under the scrutiny. He prepared himself  to  intervene. 

“There’s no one!”  Tweek  eventually snapped, shying back at the grimace from the King. “There’s...I’m sorry. I wish I could help. I want to see the Wizard fall just as much as the next person, but...” 

Kyle reached out, grasping the bare shoulder with a warm smile. “Don’t worry, you can’t tell me something you don’t know. But thank you. I’m glad not everyone is under the Wizard’s spell.” 

“I hope you find him.” 

“Me too.” 

He approached  Tweek  as the king the bard returned to the communal fire pit to discuss what they’d discovered – or rather, hadn’t discovered. The blonde turned to look at him, but he was focused on where the two elves had left to. 

“Thanks.” 

“Come to make sure I didn’t squeal?” 

He shot his friend a withering glare. “I’ve followed them since I woke up.” 

Tweek  turned to look where they’d vanished as he chewed his bottom lip. “What are you going to do?” 

“I’ll have to shake him. Somehow. Convince him to turn around.” 

“You think you can?” 

“I don’t know.”

He looked like he wanted to say more. Like he wanted to give words  of  inspiration, like he wanted to further that sentiment he’d given the king: that he hoped Kyle found him. That he hoped Feldspar admitted who he was. Maybe once, he would’ve said something. But not anymore. 

Feldspar gave him a tight hug and their usual goodbye.  Tweek  wished him luck. 

He found Kyle at the pit, staring at the burnt-out logs with the bard by his side, strumming away on a lute. The green eyes were trying to restart the fire with how intense they were, elbows on his knees and his lips pressed to clasped hands. Feldspar wasn’t sure how to approach them at first, the bard sat with his lute and a smile on his face, laidback as ever, as his King was all tense shoulders. 

“Hey.” 

The look  in  the green eyes was that of an old man. Older than Kyle was. “You’re up.” 

“I’ve been up for a while.” 

“They found one of our horses. I’m afraid it wasn’t the one with your stuff.” 

“You act like mine had anything on it.” 

A tired smile. “True.” 

“Are you nearly ready to go?” 

“Yes. I’ve been thinking of where to go next. Thankfully, we still have the map from Bebe.” 

“Good. Continue to track the towns?” 

He shook his head as he stood. “We’re going to head for the Keep. There are two towns on the way. We’ll go to those.” 

“You’re putting a lot of faith in these two towns.” 

“Yes. I suppose I am.” 

Feldspar swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. 

“Shall we?” 

“Right. I’ll prepare the horse.” 

A regal smile that he hadn’t seen since they left the forest. It sent a shiver down his spine. 

He left the King to say goodbye to the bard, to say goodbye to the barbarian Elders. By the time he was ready Feldspar was already mounted on the horse, reaching a hand out to help Kyle up behind him. 

They set off in silence, as tense as the day before, and Feldspar only just stopped himself from falling into deep thought again. 

"I think it best we continue to ride and only stop as we need to. If we do that, we shouldn’t be too long before we reach the Keep.” 

“You really took what I said about taking too long to heart, huh?” 

“You made a valid point. You’re not totally brainless.” 

He gave an unamused snort. 

“Are you upset?” 

“About what?” 

Kyle didn’t respond straight away, and when he did it was to brush it off with: “Nothing, I guess.” 

He shrugged it off, deciding he’d rather not know. He’d rather not answer. 

“Tell me about yourself.” 

“What?” 

“I want to know more about you.” 

Feldspar tensed as the hands on his sides inched closer together. “There’s really not much to know.” 

“What’s your favourite food?” 

“Seriously?” 

“I’ve travelled with you for days, and I don’t even know your real name.” 

“You don’t need to know it. You don’t need to know my favourite food, either.” 

“I want to, though.” 

He let out a heavy sigh from his nose. “Fish.” 

“Fish?” 

“ Tweek  and I used to go fishing a lot, after I got him  to  the barbarians. It’s easy and I have fond memories, I guess.” 

Kyle hummed softly  in  approval. “It’s a good choice. Is  Tweek  the barbarian Al warned would distract you?” 

He tried to hide his embarrassment with a scoff  of  disapproval. “Al doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 

“So, just barbarians in general, then?” 

He looked over his shoulder to see a twinkle of mischief in the green eyes. “What’s with the sudden interest?” 

“Well, I figure now that I’ve cleared the air with my big secret, you can let me know a couple of yours.” 

He turned back to the road ahead and pushed away the voice that told him what a bad idea this was. “He meant barbarian’s  in  general.  Tweek  is one of them. But...he’s not the only barbarian who’s distracted me before.” 

“Your type is wild and uncontrollable, huh?” 

“What about you, your  _ majesty _ . You haven’t shown an interest in anyone except your missing saviour. Not even the girls at the Peppermint Hippo.” 

“I prefer something a little more refined.” 

“Your friend at the Keep?” 

“What, Wendy?” there was an amused tremor in his voice. “No, she’s more Stanley’s speed than mine.” 

“Here I was thinking Stanley’s unwavering loyalty wouldn’t be broken by some damsel.” 

That time Kyle actually did laugh. “Ugh, we grew up  together,  he was to be my knight from when we were children. He’s practically my  _ brother _ .” 

“Some royals are into that, aren’t they?” 

“Not  _ this one _ .” 

“Alright, alright. Not mysterious Wendy, and not Stanley.” 

“My type tends to bite me in the ass.” 

“I think that’s pretty normal.” 

“I suppose.” 

“What’s your brother like?” 

The fingers around his waist clenched and the voice behind him turned soft. “Insufferable. He’s incredibly gifted, has a brilliant mind. Was always annoyed that I was more proficient with magic.” 

“Is he not?” 

“He’s fine at it, his best skills just lie elsewhere. He’s a smart kid. He’ll be a great King.” 

The unsettling feeling returned to his stomach. “I heard you weren’t a bad King either, y’know.” 

“I’m pleased I served my people well, then.” 

“Do you plan on returning to get backup before you fight the Wizard, if that’s what it comes to?” 

“No, I don’t. I’m mostly just going to improvise.” 

“Oh, wow. That doesn’t sound like the worst idea you’ve ever had.” 

“You’ve seen him recently. What’s he like.” 

He bit down on the words he wanted to say in favour of a half-truth. “He’s not too bad. He’s pretty subdued, I guess. I think years of ruling does that  to  a person.”

“Nice try.” 

 He huffed out in annoyance. He needed another approach. 

“Is the Keep where you call your home?” 

He gave a low whistle. “Ooh, sounds like a bit of a personal question, that one.” 

“That’s where you draw the line?” 

“Anything that leads back to ‘home’? Yeah, that’s where I draw the line.” 

“Alright, alright. I’ll keep my questions a little more superficial.” 

“Why do you want to know?” 

Kyle seemed to take a moment to answer that one. “We’ve travelled together for some time. I know you wanted to keep things more...professional, but I suppose now that I can see an end to our journey, and our time together, I was hoping you might make an exception.” 

“I will.” 

“Really?” 

“Don’t expect me to answer everything. I also don’t have to answer truthfully.” 

“Alright. I’ll just try guess the lies.” 

“Good luck.” 

“So Feldspar isn’t your real name?” 

“What does ‘real’ even mean?” 

Kyle huffed out. “Bebe said it wasn’t your real name.” 

“I don’t know what she was looking for, but Feldspar is what people call me.  So  it is my real name. But some people know me by another name, too.” 

“Your born name?” 

“Yes. My born name.” 

“What is it?” 

“It’s none of your business.” 

“Alright, alright.” 

Kyle continued with his questioning, asking mundane things like his favourite town, how often he’d visited the elven woods, if he had a favourite place in the  Drow  Kingdom. What games he knew how to play. How often he gambled. 

Feldspar found himself responding in kind. He wasn’t surprised when the king turned out to be quite talkative when it came to telling stories, and was much more forthcoming with information. He learnt about Kyle, about his knight Stanley, things they did as children. A few stories that included the Wizard that fizzled out at the mention of him. Feldspar was always quick to change the subject. 

It took them a few hours to reach the first town. It was more a small village that they explored without any real rush, asking around for any indication of where they could find their elf. He wasn’t surprised to find Kyle was happy to help people if they asked for it, especially fellow elves, even if they weren’t as helpful in return. 

Feldspar found a small shop before they left town that sold handmade hats. He bought one similar  to  his own, with fur lining and an earthy, leafy colour. He tugged it over Kyle’s red curls and pointed ears to hide them. 

By the time they got there the sun was setting. The town was larger than the last, cobble streets with carts and stables to rest their horses  for  then night. Feldspar pulled a face at the smiling, happy townspeople. 

“This place seems nice.” 

“It seems friendly.” 

“You don’t need to sound so upset about it.” 

“This is about as close to the Keep as ‘elf-friendly’ towns get.” 

Kyle’s fingers brushed against his new hat. “I suppose this is the last try before the Keep then. Where shall we start?” 

"I know a guy.” 

“You made it sound like you’ve never been here.” 

“I have. It’s just...been a while.” 

Feldspar led them through the clean, friendly streets towards the alleyways and corridors that ran through the backs of streets. Down spiral steps that led to someone’s front door. The back streets were still clean, still had a few more suspicious people who were happy to smile and tip their hat, and the door they stopped in front of was decorated with a collection of flowers by the steps that were a lot sweeter than the owner of the house. 

He crouched down  to  the lock and began to pick it. 

“What are you doing?!" 

“Shush, will you? This is meant to be a sneaky activity.” 

Kyle huffed out as he glanced up to where the streets were, keeping an eye out for anyone who might question them. The door clicked and allowed him  in  with little difficulty. The owner was surprisingly bad at choosing her locks. 

“ So  who’s the guy?” Kyle whispered as they entered the house. “Aren’t they going to be upset we’ve broken into his house?” 

“Her house. She’ll get over it,” Feldspar slouched down on one of the couches in the quaint room. “Make yourself comfy.” 

“Are we just waiting here for her?” 

“Yeah, we are. She’ll be home soon.” 

Kyle sat next to him, perched on the edge of the soft cushion. Green eyes darted about the room, unaware of the way Feldspar’s eyes were trained on him. There was something oddly charming about the royal, especially when he was out of his element. Even despite the tension in his shoulders he seemed to be bigger than the room he was in. 

It was unsettling. Feldspar looked away. 

“Y’know, if there was a stealth attack on the Keep, it would probably be successful. I know the right ways to get in, and with your friend already in there, it’d probably not be too difficult to pull off.” 

“I couldn’t involve you more than I have already,” Kyle assured. “But it’s not a bad thought.” 

“I’m sure your knight could be stealthy.” 

“Stealth is...not a word I would use to describe  Stan.  But Wendy, definitely.” 

“You’re going to take down the Wizard just the two of you?” 

He looked over to see a wry smile on Kyle’s face. “Are you getting worried?” 

“No. It would just come back on my head if the Wizard found out not only  did  I not kill you, but assisted you to kill him and then you failed. He might come get me.” 

“The gold I give you will be enough to set you up, as promised. And if I do fail, the darkness he plans to unleash will be inescapable regardless. I would be more concerned with that than the Wizard himself.” 

He sighed out. He wasn’t doing very well at being convincing. 

“You continue to sound worried.” 

“Don’t read into it.” 

“Are you scared about what I might find?” 

“Scared about the nothing that you’d find.” 

“Is that the truth, or one of your lies-?!” 

The door opened with a bang. Kyle jumped half a foot in the air. 

The woman who stood in the doorway relaxed as soon as her eyes landed on Feldspar. She slammed her door shut with just as much force as she opened with, her brows pulling together as she folded her arms across her chest. Deep red hair cascaded around her shoulders, a telling sign as to where her name came from. 

“Hey, Red.” 

“Hey,  _ dick, _ ” she spat out. “Can’t you just wait outside my house like a normal person?” 

“You know I like to keep a low profile.” 

“Yeah, because being caught lock picking is totally keeping a low profile.” 

“Less suspicious than two men hanging around outside your house.” 

She turned her attention to Kyle. “Who’s this?” 

“Someone I trust.” 

It seemed to be good enough for her. She entered the room fully and sat in the chair opposite, fingers toying with strands of her hair. Her dark eyes surveyed over them both as she decided what it  was  she wanted to say. He always tried to let her steer the conversation. 

“You’ve picked good timing,” she started. “I have a favour to ask  of  you.” 

“How  convenient . There’s something I need from you too.” 

“Like you ever come see me just  for  a social visit,” she snarked. “Someone has something that belongs to me. I want it.” 

“What is it?” 

Her lips pulled into a sneer. “Th is  cow on the other side of town swindled me out of a coat, a beautiful coat from the elven forest. It was promised to me, but as soon as Monica came in with her cute freckles and fluttering eyelashes, he not only sold it to her but gave her a discount!” 

“It’s always stuff and possessions with you, isn’t it?” 

“What’s it with you? What do you need from me?” 

“We’re looking for an elf. All you have to go on is that he has stormy grey eyes. He’s got quite a bit of power  in  him. A bit special.” 

Her lips curved up into a smile as she turned to Kyle again. “I’ve heard their prophecy.” 

He tensed immediately. “How?!” 

“People like to tell me things,  it’s like magic, ” she purred out. “I could demonstrate, if you like?” 

"Back off, Red.” 

“Is that jealousy in your voice,  _ Feldspar _ ? Am I moving in on your territory?” 

“Yes. So back  _ off _ .” 

There was that usual glint in her eyes. “I’ll find you the elf, if you get me my coat.” 

“What’s the coat like?” 

“It’s a beautiful shade of purple, with gold thread.” 

Feldspar stood without taking his eyes off the woman. “Monica, yeah?” 

“Yes. Monica. I’ll give you her address.”

The venom in her voice was telling. He turned to Kyle, but the redhead had already risen to follow him from the house. They left without saying another word though he could feel Red’s eyes following them as they left. He glanced up to see a young crow watching them leave and raised his middle finger. It took off towards the sky. 

“This feels very unsavoury.” 

“That’s because it is,” Feldspar admitted as he turned to face the king. “It may be better for you to sit this one out.” 

“Why? I’m not going to abandon you to do all the work.” 

“We’re going to  _ steal  _ something.” 

“She said it belonged to her.” 

“Yeah, in her head it does, but her head isn’t exactly put on straight. She...” he grasped at the words  to  say. “She spends too long with her mind in bird heads to know what is and isn’t actually hers.” 

Kyle bristled. “She’s a mage, that’s what she meant by being convincing?” 

“Yes. Sort of. She’s got ears all over the town, and further probably. That, and people tend to enjoy her company a bit too much. In a town where everyone’s friendly, someone who’s a little unhinged is kind of attractive.” 

The king cleared his throat. “Is that why you claimed she was moving in on your territory?” 

“Yes. You’re welcome. Now come on, let’s find you a place to chill out that isn’t Red’s house. I trust her, but I don’t trust her that much.” 

“I’m coming with you!” Kyle snapped as they began up the stairs. “I wasn’t joking!” 

“Isn’t it a little morally deplorable for you?” 

“Yes, but I would never expect you to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.” 

Feldspar was almost touched. He pressed a hand to Kyle’s chest and lent in close, eyes flickering across the freckled cheeks. “Just let me do my job, okay? You can...come, hang out near it, keep watch or something. It won’t be long before she discovers that Red has her coat anyway.” 

He seemed satisfied enough with that as he gave a short nod. 

They made their way through town to where Red had told them the other woman lived. Feldspar went straight past the house towards the closest inn, quick to book them in for the evening and guide his companion to their room. He went straight to the window to survey the area and see how busy the town was at this time. 

“So how do you plan on getting this coat?” 

“I’m going to go once it’s got quiet. It’s likely she’ll be asleep, so I’ll take it then. Then in the morning we’ll go back to Red before she goes to work. That’s enough time to give her.” 

“Alright. If you’re sure.” 

“I’m positive. If your elf is here, she’ll find him.” 

“Well then, I suppose we wait.” 

They got food from the tavern next door, before Feldspar suggested that Kyle got some shuteye before they went to Monica’s. He was beginning to flag after so much travelling and being up so early with the barbarians, and the rest seemed welcome for the elven man. Feldspar very nearly left him asleep. He couldn’t say exactly why he didn’t. He wasn’t prepared to leave the King on his own. Not this time at least. 

They made their way to Monica’s and he instructed Kyle on where to stand and wait. One house down, across the street. That way if anyone did find it suspicious, they’d be looking away from Monica’s house. 

He crept in with the same grace he usually had, finding himself in a quaint apartment that was almost the direct parallel to Red’s. He ignored the flowery scent as best he could as he searched for where she hung her coats. 

Near the front door. Of course. 

He rifled through them until he found one that matched Red’s description, pulling it from the pile and darting back through the corridors  for  the window he’d used to get in at the end of a hallway. There was a soft snoring from one of the rooms and he thanked his lucky stars that the woman didn’t appear to expect Red to pull something like this. 

If he knew someone like Red wanted something he had, he’d put a lot more effort into keeping it safe. He supposed that’s why she liked this town though. They were all foolish.  Gullible .

Kyle was where he left him, eyes drooping under the street lights. It brought the whispers of a smile to his face. 

The pair returned to the inn to retire for the night, Feldspar dropping the coat among their own bundle of outerwear. 

“The bed is big enough that we could both use it, you know?” 

He looked over to Kyle with a raised brow. 

“I - I always feel bad,  for  making you sleep in windowsills and on floors.” 

“Thanks for the thought, but I’m happy on the windowsill.” 

He ignored the way the smile dropped. 

“You know I struggle to sleep in busy places like this.” 

“I suppose. You did sleep best with the barbarians that I’ve seen yet.” 

“It’s a place I know. This isn’t.” 

“Very well. I’ll see you in the morning then.” 

When they settled down for the night that time, the King in the bed with his eyes closed and a peaceful look on his face, Feldspar’s gaze rarely wandered to the window. Instead he was too consumed with the shade of red that the curls were, the faint freckles he could barely make out in the dim light. The shape of his jaw and the softness of his cheeks. 

He went to sleep thinking of horseback rides and the feeling of someone’s hands around his waist. 

\--

“Here.” 

He dropped the coat  in  Red’s startled arms, smirking as she scrambled to gather it before it touched the floor. She practically hissed at him as she ushered them in her house, hair a mess and eyes framed with shadows. Kyle was polite enough to thank her for holding open the door at least. 

She wasted no time in parading into the centre of her  living  room  with the coat on her shoulders, a satisfied smile on her face despite the tiredness  in  her features. Feldspar took the same seat as the day before, Kyle perching next to him. 

“What do you think? Does it suit me?” 

“Sure, brilliantly.” 

She fluttered dark eyes at Kyle. “And my fellow redhead? Does the purple match my complexion?” 

“Yes, you look quite lovely, Red. The gold really brings out your eyes.” 

She sat down on the chair opposite with exaggerated elegance as though she were posing for a portrait. “Quite lovely. Yes, this will do.” 

“It won’t be long till she knows you have it.” 

“She can come get it from me, then. There’s not enough challenge in these people sometimes.” 

“You chose this place to settle down.” 

She waved it off, still in a good mood from receiving her prize. “I stayed up half the night scouring the town for your elf. I visited all the elves I know of who matched your description, and even some who didn’t. I’m sorry to say, he is not here.” 

“Did you check humans, as well?” Kyle pressed. “We think perhaps he is using some kind of glamour to disguise himself.” 

“There are elves who do this, but I know who they are. Glamour's never last that long. Any elf who lives here, I know of. Especially those who pretend not to be.” 

Part of him wished she had found someone, anyone. Someone who matched the description even better than he did.” 

“I’m sorry I can’t give you more  for  such a wonderful gift. Is there anything else I could pay you with?” 

“No, Red. Your work is good enough.” 

Her smile widened as her brows rose. “So nice to see you declining a bonus for once, Feldspar.” 

“We don’t have time to barter out anything else. You’ll just have to owe me one.” 

“Very well. Don’t be a stranger now.” 

_ He wished...  _

They left the house, Kyle saying his goodbyes, before heading  in  silence towards the stables where their horse was being kept. He paid up and mounted, holding a hand out for Kyle to join him. There were lines in the redhead’s brow that weren’t there before. 

“To the Keep?” 

A very Kyle-like smile and a firm grasp as their hands met. “To the Keep.” 

They rode for some time with light conversation between them. Scathing remarks about the mental stability of Red, light-hearted stories about the Bard and the trouble he could get up to. The acknowledgement that they’d have to do  _ something  _ about his horse that they lost, and  Petuzki’s  horse that they still had. 

An offhanded comment that all meat was good meat. That got him a solid punch to the arm. 

It wasn’t too long before they agreed to stop, the king confessing that he was growing hungry after not eating before they left town. They found a moderate clearing in a wooded area and tied up the horse as Kyle began to search through their rations. 

“I’ll be up there,” Feldspar gestured towards the canopy of leaves above them. “I don’t think I slept well. Seeing as you got your beauty sleep, I guess it’s my turn.” 

“I’ll be down here, where normal people are. Not hiding away in trees.” 

“I thought it was an elven thing to hide away in trees?” 

“I’m practicing your human customs. I’ll have to blend into the Keep somehow.” 

He found a spot nestled within the branches and the shelter, Kyle behind him and the sound of water flowing in front of him. Sleeping with just enough noise around was always a sure-fire way to doze off without falling into too deep  of  a slumber. 

Yet, despite that, he fell a little bit further than he usually would. He was teetering on the edge of ‘napping’ and ‘asleep’. 

The noise that snapped him back awake was soft, and out of place enough in the environment he’d settled in that it caused mild panic as he tried to gather his surroundings.  He mentally cursed himself for falling asleep in the tree, keeping his ears sharp for the noise that had woke him up. He was amused to find that the thing that had woken him up was the sound of the King of the  Drow  Elves talking to himself, wrapped in a towel ready to bathe. 

He crept slow, keeping his movements light as he moved to peer over the edge of the branch to the stream below. He didn’t have to move far till he saw the owner of the voice battling with the thin, small towel that Feldspar had permitted he could buy when they were in Crossroads. The muttering was barely audible, mostly a mess of words, but there was a sound of triumph when  Kyle  pulled a bottle from within the towel. The very same bottle Feldspar had taken off him when they were about to leave for this journey. 

He res isted the urge to roll his eyes. He should’ve known that the royal asshole would manage to sneak something past him. He’d thought the man had been willing to do anything he was told if it meant he could reach his friend at the beginning. He’d definitely learnt his lesson by this point. 

The man took the bottle and poured some of its contents on his hands, before dropping it on the floor and beginning to put the liquid into his tangled mess of hair.  Feldspar narrowed his eyes and peered down to try figure out what it was. It did appear to be soap of some kind, as he suspected when he first took it, yet it was more of a liquid than he was used to seeing. 

It created a creamy foam amongst the red curls as the man’s fingers massaged it into his scalp. Feldspar found himself pleasantly surprised that the King wasn’t as weak as he first thought. The movement of his fingers and hands sent ripples down his arms to his back, where his muscles moved easily with the action. He was nicely built ; not the strongest he’d ever seen and  his pale skin clearly didn’t see much light  of  day. 

It was a shame, really. The King was nothing to scoff at. Between those powerful green eyes and such an expressive face, the bold fiery curls on his head, and the hidden body, he was quite an attractive man. If  anything  Al had been wrong when he’d called him  cute.  There was very little cute about someone so explosive and passionate. 

The pale hands left his hair and he walked to the water, unwrapping the towel from around his waist and leaving it with the smaller one. Feldspar felt his mouth go dry as a voice he dimly recognised as his conscience reminded him that he should look away. He ignored it. 

Kyle used the foam that was in his hair to cover the rest of his body, across his collar and chest, down to his stomach. Feldspar reached further forward on his perch as Kyle headed further away into the river. 

He reached too far forward. 

His hand slipped as the branch it was on  cracked and  gave out under it, letting out a curse as he looked down and found his balance on what was left. He really was cutting it close with his position. When he looked up again ,  he found green eyes staring up at him. 

Kyle’s fingers flicked. 

The familiar sensation of a vine wrapping round his ankle was all the warning he had before he was roughly yanked from his hiding place and left hanging in the air  for the approaching king. He tried to think of a way he could talk himself out of this mess, some kind of excuse he could come up with – not that he was doing anything that needed  _ excusing _ . He had only been napping. 

“Really, for a master thief, you’ve ended up in this position one too many times.” 

“Twice,” Feldspar clarified as he turned  round  to come face - to - collarbone with the king, who reached up and held his shoulder to stop him spinning round. “Only twice.” 

“I would’ve thought you’d learn from the first time not to sneak up on me,” there was a single raised brow on the unimpressed face. The impact it might’ve had was ruined by the foam still clinging to his hair.  "I thought you said you were resting ?” 

“ I was , till you woke me up with your muttering,” Feldspar snapped back. “I told you  _ not  _ to bring that bottle. What even is it?” 

A flush of red. “None of your business. Besides, it’s not like I snuck it into a bag. Stan did.” 

“Stan did?” 

“Yes.” 

Feldspar felt a spark of mischief as he reached up to touch the top of the red curls. “What is it? Some kind of soap?  Need to pamper yourself? ” 

“It’s nothing!” Kyle insisted as he moved backwards. “That’s not what’s important here! You were spying on me!” 

He spluttered through a denial as his cheeks began to heat up. “I – that’s – I was  _ napping _ !” 

The green eyes widened. “You  _ were  _ spying on me?” 

“Fuck you, I was only spying on what the fuck you thought you were doing bringing that bottle and waking me up!”

“If that’s true, why is your face so red?” 

“You’re looking pretty rosy yourself, asshole!” 

Kyle raised his hand to cover the lower part of his face, but Feldspar could see the way his eyes lifted joy. “ Of course  I am. You caught me out.” 

“No embarrassed about your own body, are you?” 

“Speak  for  yourself. I’ve only ever seen you with your hat off once. You spend more time completely clothed than I do.” 

Feldspar pursed his lips at that. Kyle’s eyes were still on him as he took in the view of the King upside-down, who’d hastily wrapped a towel round himself to protect what modesty he had left. 

A smirk crossed his face as he met the green eyes again. He unbuckled his cloak, allowing it to fall in a billowing motion around him, before he reached to his gloves and pulled them off one by one. 

“What are you doing?” Kyle demanded as his eyes followed Feldspar’s hands  to  the ties  of  his s hirt . “It wasn’t a challenge!” 

“ Sure  sounded like one,” Feldspar replied lazily, loosening the front tie before  man oeuv ring  his way out his shirt without knocking his hat. It was something he’d become skilled at. 

He reached to the hidden knife in his boot and took hold of the vine around his ankle, holding himself up as he cut himself loose. He dropped down to the floor and came face to face with the King, feeling a rush at the reminder that he was a few inches taller. 

“Show off.” 

“What?” Feldspar tucked the knife back in its place. “I  dunno  what you’re talking about.” 

“ Sure  you don’t,” Kyle replied with a dry tone and his arms folded across his chest. “You’re still more dressed than me.” 

Feldspar’s smirk widened. “If you want me to be completely naked, you just have to ask, your majesty.” 

The shade of red that Kyle’s face filled with was nearly darker than his hair. He spluttered out nonsensically as the foam in his hair began to drip down to his shoulders. From the trees, Feldspar hadn’t noticed the freckles  that spread across more than just his face. 

“Come on, we might as well wash. You’re looking a bit pathetic with all that shit  in  your hair.” 

“You can borrow it?” 

Feldspar raised a brow at the suggestion. 

“It’s - it’s meant to make my hair straighter. I have naturally...frizzy hair. I find it just makes me look a little silly.” 

“Appearances are pretty important when you’re in a position of power.” 

“They are, yes.” 

“Alright, I’ll try it,” Feldspar began to walk to the river as he reached for his hat, pressing lightly on the pockets of charm as his ears began to tingle and take a new shape. “Let’s go.” 

He didn’t miss the way the King’s eyes roamed over his ears. Nor did he miss the way the man seemed to deflate when he saw the round, human looking things. 

Feldspar pushed away the guilt. 

He stripped down fully and crouched down to the bottle of foam. He followed the King’s instructions on how much to use and how to rub it into his scalp. By the time he was at the water’s edge stark naked Kyle was laughing at his scrunched-up face and complaints on the flowery smell. 

He made sure to splash the royal asshole once he was fully submerged. It was easy to forget where they were. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he didn’t really care. The feeling of the stream was gentle, and the company was good. They attempted to catch fish, and he was quick to start shoving and pushing when a tide of water knocked him off balance. There was no doubt in his mind that it had been Kyle using magic to cause such a surge. 

They eventually sat at the edge of the water with their feet still in the  cool river . Kyle told him stories of mischief he and Stan had caused in their younger years, and Feldspar admitted he hadn’t been the most well-behaved youngster. He admitted that his whole family weren’t exactly  _ prim and proper _ . 

When the temperature began to drop, he realised how late it had gotten. How close they were sitting. 

“I guess we’ve lost a day.” 

“It was worth it. It’s nice to see you stop working for once.” 

Feldspar looked up to see a soft smile on Kyle’s face. He felt a lump develop in his throat as he licked his lips. “Yeah, it was. It’s been a while since I took a break.” 

“How much longer do we have before we reach the Keep?” 

“If we do some travelling today before we sleep? We should be there some time tomorrow.” 

“We best start getting ready then,” Kyle suggested. “I’m getting cold.” 

“I can tell.” 

He got an elbow  to  the ribs  for  his comment. 

They dressed in a tense silence with their backs to each other. Feldspar was proud of his own self-restraint at not turning  round  early, instead asking if the King was descent when he finished. Judging from the flush on his guilty face, Kyle hadn’t shown the same restraint. 

The sun started dropping a while after they had got back on the road. When it went fully dark Feldspar felt Kyle begin to droop either way off the edge of the horse, startling awake as he started to fall. With a roll of his eyes the thief grasped the King’s hands and brought them tighter round his waist. Despite the murmured ‘sorry’, there was no resistance. He seemed all too happy to grip tightly and doze off to dreamland. 

When Feldspar began to see the distant lights of the Keep, a few hours left  of  their journey, he decided it was a good time  to  stop. He tied up the horse, woke Kyle long enough for them to set up a rushed shelter, and lay down for the night. 

He wasn’t sure if it was due to his earlier nap or the nagging feeling that he was going to send Kyle off to face the Wizard knowing exactly where his prophesied saviour was that gave him a fitful rest. 

The tips of his ears were tingling when he woke up. He took his time stirring the King. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER FEELS SO DISJOINTED TO ME 
> 
> But that's probably because it's a lot of scenes I enjoyed writing that I've awkwardly connected together with bad description. But that's okay. You guys should expect that of me by this point. It's what I DO. 
> 
> The keep! It is soon! The end! It is in sight!

**Author's Note:**

> Art inspired by my fic!! Let me share!! I'm so happy they're so pretty!!! Thank you guys <3 
> 
> https://artelka.tumblr.com/post/182362927466/fanart-for-kivea-s-the-elf-with-eyes-of-storms
> 
> http://tsunya99.tumblr.com/post/182178386143/fanart-for-ao3-the-elf-with-eyes-of-storms


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